Line and Rigging
Soft Shackle Untra-Lite Sheet
I wasn't sure which title would best suit this article. Options ranged from "Splicing Samson Ultra-lite," "Integrated Soft Shackle Light Air Sheet," "Soft Light Air Sheet," to "The Ultimate Sheet for Light Air Sailing." Perhaps, even "How I Went From Doing Pirouettes in Light Air to Nirvana" could work.
The truth is, it embodies all these titles. Most of the time I've owned Papoose, the boat would just sit there, usually turning and backing to the wind if the breeze fell below 5 knots. Now, equipped with a free flying light air jib, a spinnaker and light weight sheets that don't weigh down the clew, sailing in 5 knots of wind has become my favorite condition.
A significant part of this improvement is due to the sails. The jib, made of 155 rip-stop polyester, excels in winds below 10 knots. I launch it from a spinnaker bag and simply stuff it back in after use. It's light and easy to handle, but it's not much use if the clew is weighed down by a heavy sheet. Initially, I started with 1/4 inch Warpspeed sheets, but even they proved too heavy. Now, I'm using 3/16" Ultra-lite spliced to an integrated soft shackle. I typically use a single sheet, adding a second only if we have to tack or gybe.
Ultra-lite cannot be spliced, and I found that using knots not only reduces the strength by half but also prevents the knot from passing through the jib block if I use an Amsteel integrated line shackle on the end. That's when I got the idea to double the Ultra-lite over and sew it along the length of the overlap, leaving an eye at the end to splice the Amsteel through. This technique has been tested on my Spinnaker in 15 knots of wind. "Leave it up and let's see if it breaks," I said. It didn't. Now, I use this method exclusively with the spinnaker, as 15 knots is the take-down wind. I've used my spinnaker in up to 30 knots with heavy sheets but my sailmaker advises taking it down in high winds, suggesting there's no need for it then.
The truth is, it embodies all these titles. Most of the time I've owned Papoose, the boat would just sit there, usually turning and backing to the wind if the breeze fell below 5 knots. Now, equipped with a free flying light air jib, a spinnaker and light weight sheets that don't weigh down the clew, sailing in 5 knots of wind has become my favorite condition.
A significant part of this improvement is due to the sails. The jib, made of 155 rip-stop polyester, excels in winds below 10 knots. I launch it from a spinnaker bag and simply stuff it back in after use. It's light and easy to handle, but it's not much use if the clew is weighed down by a heavy sheet. Initially, I started with 1/4 inch Warpspeed sheets, but even they proved too heavy. Now, I'm using 3/16" Ultra-lite spliced to an integrated soft shackle. I typically use a single sheet, adding a second only if we have to tack or gybe.
Ultra-lite cannot be spliced, and I found that using knots not only reduces the strength by half but also prevents the knot from passing through the jib block if I use an Amsteel integrated line shackle on the end. That's when I got the idea to double the Ultra-lite over and sew it along the length of the overlap, leaving an eye at the end to splice the Amsteel through. This technique has been tested on my Spinnaker in 15 knots of wind. "Leave it up and let's see if it breaks," I said. It didn't. Now, I use this method exclusively with the spinnaker, as 15 knots is the take-down wind. I've used my spinnaker in up to 30 knots with heavy sheets but my sailmaker advises taking it down in high winds, suggesting there's no need for it then.
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