When I was having measurements taken for a new mainsail, the sailmaker commented that the sail track on my 1972 CC 35 mk2 begins nearly a foot above the boom. The sail track is obviously cast into the aluminum mast, but has been machined away so it begins well above the boom. I had always assumed that was normal, but the sailmaker commented that it made it more difficult to set a reef. The cringle for the reef point at the tack does not go low enough to go over the hook at the forward end of the boom, so I always need to use a short length of line to make this connection. If the sail track were lower, the slides on the sail would be lower so this connection could be made without the line. The other nuisance of having all the track slides so high is that it is hard to reach all the way to the head of the sail to attach and detach the main halyard, and to pull the sail cover over the head of the sail.
Is it standard on CC's of this vintage to have the sail track start so high? Would it be OK just to leave the bottom 2 or 3 sail slides not in the track, so the furled sail would be lower and the reef point could be connected directly to the cunningham hook (is that the name of it?). Or should I look into the possibility of having a short length of sail track machined and bolt it into the flat of the mast between the boom and the bottom of the existing track, leaving just enough room to feed the sail slides into the track when bending on the mainsail? Suggestions welcome. Eric Frank Cat's Paw C&C 35 Mk II Mattapoisett, MA
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