Audasea has the open metal toe rails found on the older M17's and she
came with a pair of snatch blocks to use as jib fair leads:
I have the metal toe rails as well. Very handy. I am forever changing
sheeting angle
and the rail makes it easy. Yes a track would be even easier but the rail
works well
for attaching all kinds of stuff. Spinnaker sheets etc.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/
10001/245850/0/0/snatchblock/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0> You can
easily move them up and down the rail as needed for each sail. Looks
aside, my preference is the metal toe rails because of all those handy
attachment points. I use them all the time.
Snatch blocks would be the dogs bollix. I hadn't even considered a snatch
for
this but what a great idea.
I just use a regular 2 1/4 -ish unit on a snap shackle. It can be an
interesting
process moving one of these under load. Of course you can luff up or just
loose
the sheet to gedderdone, but sometimes the challenge is fun.
I had a turnbuckle work loose once on the road. Others galled and froze.
Bottom line is I eventually replaced all 6 of them and glad I did. I
would check all the rigging and all connection points on each end,
replacing anything that looks suspicious. Especially so on the fore and
back stays. Loosing a mast will ruin you day.
I had a complete dismasting on my other sailboat last year. All because the
ring style
cotter pin somehow disappeared on one of the side stays. A clevis pin worked
its
way loose...on the windward side..... closehauled.....like a dream. Sailing
along at hull
speed tweaking sails, just marveling at the beautiful, hot (windy) day and
bam.....the
whole thing just slowly falls over into the water. Complete with a
movie-like sound
effects.Thing is, something has to give. In this case, it was the mast.
Spruce. Now
in three major pieces. Those wires are a tiny bit important. ~:0)
How the dang cotter ring came off, I will never know. I suspect a
neighborhood kid
thought it would be fun to play with maybe. It doesn't matter either way...I
should have
checked more closely when I rigged. I did adjust that turnbuckle....I wish I
had
just looked more closely. I can't imagine how I missed not seeing a missing
cotter.
Lesson learned: You can bet I check the rig every time out now.
Cheers.
Tim Diebert
M17 'Puff' #369.....
and my old gaffer 'Annie M'......currently stickless.
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