RS Venture - Rigging the Mainsail

Rigging the Mainsail

The Jib sail wire supports the mast, therefore always rig the Jib Sail before rigging the main. There are two decisions to be made before rigging the mainsail; Is a masthead float to be used? (See section on Floats for options) and should the reefing lines be rigged? The decisions on whether to rig the reefing lines or to use a masthead float should, ideally, be taken prior to raising the mainsail.

Place the rolled up mainsail into the port side of the boat with the track cord adjacent to the mast. If this is the first time of rigging read ahead to the section on Reefing
It is useful to have an assistant help to feed the mainsail into the mast track whilst the mainsail is being hoisted (together with the float if used). The mainsail needs to be fed straight into the mast track - an assistant keeping the sail luff in alignment with the track will make pulling up the sail easier and importantly will avoid undue wear or tear damage to the sail luff binding. If the tubed mast head float is being used take care to feed both smoothly into the track avoiding any ripples that might jam the sail. Do not apply force when hoisting the mainsail, it should flow smoothly and easily. If it sticks pull the sail back a little, straighten it and resume pulling. Applying undue force is usually not successful and, worse, the sail rope and cover might be damaged making for an even more difficult hoist in future. Always step away and check that there is no rope or equipment snagging. This is particularly important if a masthead float is being used. Some PTFE lubricant applied to the mast track ahead of time is often helpful.
Assuming that you have either decided not to rig the reefing lines or that they have been rigged at this stage, pull the mainsail to the very top of the mast, stepping back to look up and check it really is at the top. Cleat off the main halyard. Note that the mainsail is fitted with TWO Tack slugs. The upper slug is not used when the full sail is being hoisted and needs to be turned away from the mast track. The upper slug is only used when the main sail is to be reefed.
Thread the slug at the bottom rear of the mainsail into the boom track and slide it aft. Check that the front of the outhaul line (usually a black line) is uncleated and pull the slack to the rear of the boom. Take the end of the outhaul line, loop it through the mainsail clew and take it back to the rear of the boom. Insert the knot at the end of the outhaul line into the slot at the back end of the boom and snug it down securely into the slot.
TIP: It is worth purchasing a hook block for use with the outhaul line.The outhaul line can then be permanently locked into the slot at the end of the boom and the hook inserted into the clew of the mainsail. This simplifies rigging and provides an improved, easier, adjustment to the outhaul line.

Rigging the Mainsheet.

There are 3 options for rigging the mainsheet, dependent upon the weather conditions. The mainsheet blocks on the Venture permit a number of variations in mainsheet rigging. See these 3 diagrams for some examples.
The standard system provides a 4:1 advantage and is essential for windy conditions. The medium system as the name suggests is for medium winds and a light system giving a 2:1 advantage for very light conditions. The main benefit of varying the mainsheet rigging is the greater (speedier) control that the medium and light systems provide and the ease with which the mainsail can be let out with less need to manually push it out in lighter winds.
The Mainsheet Jammer is an Allen AL-A5166 fitted with a switchable ratchet block AL-A2160. The switch simply removes or applies a ratchet action to the block and its use is a matter of preference. The ratchet is certainly very helpful when cruising over distance enabling a more relaxed sail. However in variable wind conditions the use of the ratchet mechanism can result in slower release of the mainsail that is less desirable when hit by wind gusts.
The mainsheet may be fed through the block in either direction because the ratchet has a reversible switch. The mainsheet is fed into the cleat, into the ratchet block and then up to the aftmost boom block. From this point decide on which of the above rigging systems is most suitable for the expected wind strength. If when afloat the mainsheet rigging needs to be changed this can be done by turning the boat bow to wind and readjusting the mainsheet. However when doing so take care not to release the mainsheet from the aftmost boom block otherwise you will lose control of the boom making for a difficult recovery.
The next important stage is to set the length of the mainsheet such that when the boom is fully extended it cannot strike the shrouds. Set the length by holding the boom approximately 2cm off the shrouds and insert a stopper knot adjacent to the jammer cleat. Re test to make sure that the boom cannot touch the shrouds. This setup is essential to avoid damage to the boat following a gybe in strong winds.
Finally tie a stopper knot at the very end of the mainsheet to aid the grip by the helmsman.

Rigging the Reefing Lines.

This section describes linking the reefing lines into the mainsail as distinct from physically reefing the sail.
The RS Venture may be sailed perfectly well without rigging the reefing lines, however once launched it will be extremely difficult to recover the use of the reefing lines as the wind increases. When in the slightest doubt about weather conditions rig the reefing lines even if the sail is not actually reefed prior to launch! In practice rigging the lines is a simple task and if done in the right sequence - see below - it will only add a few minutes to the rigging time. A single reefing line needs to be rigged at both ends of the boom. This task requires the mainsail to be partially raised and the reefing lines laced into the sail.
There are three vertical reefing cringles at both the Tack and Clew of the mainsail. The reefing lines should be rigged before the sail is fully hoisted because the topmost cringles will be out of reach when the sail is fully hoisted. Start by partially raising the mainsail to the point where the uppermost rear cringle can be reached. Pull out a couple of metres or so of reefing line and feed it up the starboard side of the sail to the uppermost cringle, close to the leech of the sail. Lace the line through this cringle and back down the port side of the sail. Lace the line into the next lower cringle and again into the next. After exiting from the lowest clew cringle the line will again be on the starboard side of the sail. Lead the tail end of the line (it should already have a small knot at the end) to the back of the boom. As with the outhaul line, insert the end of the reefing line into the small starboard slot at the back of the boom. Snug the knot into position so that it does not work free. An alternative approach is to lodge the knot into the boom track and slide it aft until it is vertically below the last cringle.
Now climb into the boat and commence rigging the front reefing lines. Note that TWO red reefing lines protrude from the front of the boom. One line is the operating line, ie it is threaded alongside the Outhaul line and shares the outhaul pulley block, and is used to physically reef the sail. The other line terminated in a small knot, is fed up the port side of the mainsail and between the sail and the gnav strut, to the uppermost cringle from where it is laced through the lower cringles to emerge on the port side and the small end knot is locked into the retaining slot on the front port side of the boom. Note the need to avoid trapping the gnav struct with the forward reefing line - this would prevent the sail from reefing neatly at the inboard end of the boom.

Reefing the Mainsail prior to launching

Remove the lower sail slug from the mast track and replace it with the upper sail slug. With the reefing lines rigged as above, raise the mainsail further up the mast such that most of the sag is removed from the sail. Lift the Outhaul rope clear of the front outhaul pulley and replace it with the reefing line. Begin hauling on the reefing line and note that the section of the mainsail at the rear of the boom will begin to concertina. Continue to pull until the rear is fully concertinaed, if necessary release the tension on the main halyard.
Now turn your attention to the front of the sail as the pull is continued and the front section of the sail begins to concertina. Continue pulling until both rear and front sections of the sail are tightly concertinaed. Check that the sail folds are even and lie across the boom at both front and rear.
The mid section of the sail is fitted with a cringle through which a bungee loop can be passed. Use the loop to pass through the cringle and underneath the boom to secure the the mid section folds. Tidy the folds to ensure that whilst sailing they cannot be blown free. In practice this reefing system is both tidy and holds the reef very securely.
TIP: the RS Venture is usually not supplied with a suitable bungee loop and it is necessary to make your own using two large parrel beads (bobbles) and a length of 4mm bungee rubber. The loop can be left permanently rigged into the sail where it will always be to hand when needed.
The final stage is to fully tension the main halyard to remove any creases and sagging in the sail and to make sure the sail slug is snugged down in the mast track.

Rigging the Downhaul (Cunningham)

The purpose of the downhaul line is to maintain as far as possible a smooth ripple free edge to the luff of the mainsail. The Downhaul line is a short length of rope starting at the hole in the gooseneck casting. It is retained by a knot. The loose end is fed up the starboard side of the sail, through the bottom cringle and down the port side of the mast to the downhaul cleat.
If the boat is to be launched fully reefed at the outset of the sailing session then the Downhaul line is not used. Tie a loose knot to prevent the rope coming free from the gooseneck whilst sailing.

Reefing the Mainsail while afloat

The best advice on this practice is only if you must! A belated decision to reef suggests the conditions are becoming difficult and keeping the boat head to wind, to enable the mainsail to be lowered and raised, will be a challenge and potentially dangerous. With a lowered boom the crew could be knocked overboard. In extremis make best efforts to concertina the sail whilst incrementally lowering the mainsail to avoid the boom being so low as to strike the crew or the hoop. If available find a handy buoy to tie to whilst reefing.
The RS Venture has a single, substantial, panel that reefs. The following assumes that the reefing lines have been correctly rigged as above.
Essential first steps when the boat is 'bow to wind' is to fully release the Outhaul line and fully release the gnav/kicker finally with both Jib and Mainsheet slack release the main halyard and drop the top of the sail to the level of the forestays. If the boat is not 'bow to wind' and the gnav uncleated it will be very difficult to lower or raise the mainsail.
The bulk of this work is performed by the crew and the helm should concentrate on keeping the boat 'bow to wind' as far as possible. It will also be helpful if the helm can also lift the rear of the boom slightly to ease the first stages of reefing. Note that the front of the boom has a single steel pulley. This pulley doubles up as an Outhaul and Reefing block. Before reefing, lift the outhaul line out of the pulley block and replace it with the reefing line.
Disconnect the Downhaul line and leave it dangling for now. Pull firmly on the reefing line coming from the front bottom of the boom. Due to the lacing of the rear reefing line, the lower leech of the mainsail will begin to concertina. This process will be assisted if the helm lifts the rear of the boom. When the slack has been taken out of the upper leech release the main halyard further and resume pulling on the reefing line. Repeat the actions of releasing the main halyard and pulling on the reefing line until the rear of the mainsail is fully concertinaed.
With the rear of the main reefed continue to pull on the reefing line and the lower luff of the mainsail will also begin to concertina. Lower the mainsail even further if necessary. Firm pulling is required until both backend and frontend are fully concertinaed.
It will now be possible to insert the upper reefing slug (previously ignored when raising the full sail) into the lower section of the mast track.
Finally tidy up the fan folds so that they lie neatly along the boom. Take time to neatly fold the reefed section to avoid the section blowing out in the wind later. Secure the middle section of sail using a looped bungee cord passed through the centre reefing eyelet. Re tension the main halyard to ensure that the luff of the mainsail is fully and evenly stretched. The main halyard must be properly tensioned even when the mainsail is reefed to ensure that the kicker control operates as efficiently as possible. Pass the now unused downhaul line up the starboard side of the sail, through the upper cringle that is now adjacent to the boom and tie the line off to keep the front folds of the sail neatly stowed to prevent the wind from pulling the folds apart.

Masthead floats

Start by deciding whether a mast head float is to be used. When sailing in shallow water in windy conditions a masthead float has the advantage of slowing down the tendency of the boat to turn upside down but the major benefit of a larger float is to prevent damage to the mast and boat by the mast becoming embedded in soft mud etc.
RS Sailing offer a fixed masthead float suitable for the Venture. This is bolted to the top of the mast and is regarded as a semi permanent fixture.
There are two types of removeable masthead floats suitable for the RS Venture. The first consists of 2 4ltr tubes coupled with tough canvas. This float type is used by inflating the tubes and inserting the tubes around the topmost section of the mast. It provides a relatively streamlined appearance and provides useful buoyancy. Fold the float tubes either side of the mainsail so that the upper fastening of the float is in line with the Head of the mainsail. Use a large bobble to fasten the main halyard through a float loop, mainsail head and then the remaining float loop. The main halyard will link together the float fastening tapes and the Head of the mainsail. This float will cause the boat to be reluctant to invert and will give time for a crew member to get on to the centreboard and hopefully prevent inversion, but it will not entirely prevent inversion.
The second type of float is a 40ltr inflatable balloon. It has a metal eyelet at its top end. After inflating the float use the main halyard to link together the Head of the mainsail and the float. As the mainsail is raised the float will also be hoisted. This 40ltr float will almost certainly prevent inversion if less aesthetically pleasing. Indeed in most conditions it is possible for a crew member to clamber up the inside of the boat to gain a foothold on the centreboard without the boat inverting - really useful if the crew is cold /tired or does not possess the arm strength to climb on to the centreboard. It is worth noting that both these floats, when rigged as above, will become slightly less effective if the mainsail is reefed (the floats are lower down the mast and therefore cannot exert the same righting force that exists when they are positioned at the top of the mast).
A method of ensuring that the floats are always at the masthead for maximum efficiency is to fit an additional saddle eye at the masthead. A small block can then be attached to the saddle eye and a permanent light rope looped through the block. The masthead float can then be attached to the rope and hauled up the mast, regardless of whether the mainsail is to be reefed. An additional possible advantage of such an arrangement is that is permits a masthead light to be hoisted should this be required.