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The Contessa Corner → Sails & Rigging → Removable Headstay
What you're talking about here is called a "baby stay". It is kept at the mast until needed and then brought out to a forward deck fitting and tensioned using an off-the-shelf mechanism. On large boats, you often see running backstays used but seldom on smaller boats. When using a storm jib, you're down to your third reef and balance should be quite good with minimum weather helm.
No doubt my jargon is wrong. I've seen what I understood to be baby stays on larger boats but they have been permanently fixed. Their foot was on a traveller on the foredeck and they were used not for sails but for pulling the midpoint of the mast foreward, inducing mast bend.
Do we really need the stay at all? There is a fine piece of wire in the luff of the storm jib that would be sufficient for this purpose and would require less complexity for installation and use. In this configuration all that would be required on the mast is a beefier spinaker topping lift, probably in spectra with a much stronger block and mast tang. Depending upon the foot attachment point, backing plates may be required.
I too am wanting an "inner forestay", for storm sails, also for emergency if the main forestay goes...but I don't want to then have to set up running backstays...as I believe what goes in front must have equal balance behind?! I had thought of a removeable what I thought was "baby stay", but then a rigger said a baby stay was just that, a small stay to give support to a honking big mast with bend...and yes, is mostly on bigger boats? However, we should call what we want an inner forestay?! Either way, I would make mine removeable, and have the running backs removeable, of course, too. Someone told me our aft shrouds should be strong enough balance/support for a baby/inner forestay, but I would rather do it right, as per the law of physics (for each aciton is an equal reaction) than see the mast slowly go over the bow!
I was recently drying sails (for your interest, the traveller leaks on my boat, allowing about two inches of water to accumulate and the quarterberth locker where my sails were stowed this season -- another problem for another post!) and had my storm jib set on the spinnaker toppinglift. It would seem to me that a removable forestay could be installed at this location so that the storm jib could always be set inboard of the furled headsail. As many of us know, roller furling is wonderful but changing sails is not.
As I brainstorm, here is how I might install such a setup. First, the second headstay is not really important because of the wire luff of the storm jib. Therefore I would reinforce the tang for the spinnaker toppinglift and install a much stronger block at this location. I would then replace the toppinglift with spectra to reduce stretch. To set the storm jib I would hoist it all the way up on the toppinglift. I would then attach a 4:1 block-and-tackle to the tack of the storm jib a suitably strong point on the foredeck such as the forestay chainplate (still need to consider other options as to an exact location). The sail would be tensionned from the foot instead of by means of the halyard. The sheet need only pass through the clew cringle and can otherwise be free to move.
I would be grateful for any thoughts someone here might have. In particular, I note that the center of effort of the storm jib shifts aft, thereby creating the possibility of more weatherhelm. I am also slightly concerned about the unsupported load on the mast at a point midway between the tops of the lower and upper shrouds. However the tension from the main should reduce this.
Cheers!
You can tell that spring is in the air as I am thinking about boat projects again.
Some of us have fitted inner forestays on our Contessas. If you did, what configuration did you choose to use? Head at the mast's 3/4 point and tack near the foredeck cleat? Or head at the spreaders and tack at the base of the forestay? Some other configuration?
For sails, did you fit a jibboom?
Anyone tried rigging their Contessa as a cutter? How did it behave? Was tacking the yankee a problem with such a small gap between the forestay and the inner forestay?
I am hoping to learn from the wisdom of others before I drill the holes!
Thanks!
The Contessa Corner → Sails & Rigging → Removable Headstay
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