Zephyr Cruises

The place to discuss SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project), our 11' 11" micro minicruiser.

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Anders Bjorklund
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by Anders Bjorklund »

"Being able to control the yard as it comes down into the lazyjacks as Simeon has set up to do is quite an important element."

Can you elaborate, howard?
pocketyacht
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by pocketyacht »

Hi Anders

At times when lowering sail in gusty conditions the sail area near the forward or lower end of the yard can fill with a gust and swing outboard with the sail filling and the yard forward end swinging outboard and the upper (top) end swinging in making for a partially full sail at the wrong moment. In general the double lazyjack lowers helps when lowering the rig, as Chucks video shows, everything aloft stays in line as it drops.

Hope my rather clunky description makes sense.
Anders Bjorklund wrote:"Being able to control the yard as it comes down into the lazyjacks as Simeon has set up to do is quite an important element."

Can you elaborate, howard?
Anders Bjorklund
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by Anders Bjorklund »

When you said Simeon earlier, you meant Chuck? Or what is Simeon's system? Thanks.
pocketyacht wrote:Hi Anders

At times when lowering sail in gusty conditions the sail area near the forward or lower end of the yard can fill with a gust and swing outboard with the sail filling and the yard forward end swinging outboard and the upper (top) end swinging in making for a partially full sail at the wrong moment. In general the double lazyjack lowers helps when lowering the rig, as Chucks video shows, everything aloft stays in line as it drops.

Hope my rather clunky description makes sense.
Anders Bjorklund wrote:"Being able to control the yard as it comes down into the lazyjacks as Simeon has set up to do is quite an important element."

Can you elaborate, howard?
pocketyacht
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by pocketyacht »

I referenced Simeon's set up. Here it is in photos:
PA140045.jpg
MsgAttachment-2.jpg
It seems Keith has a single line (each side) lazyjack and plans to set up with a double lower. There are a number of variations of the dual lower line lazyjack set up. Some are toggled or have other methods for adjustment. For reference I posted the photo of Blueberry, she has the double lower non adjustable type.
Anders Bjorklund wrote:When you said Simeon earlier, you meant Chuck? Or what is Simeon's system? Thanks.
pocketyacht wrote:Hi Anders

At times when lowering sail in gusty conditions the sail area near the forward or lower end of the yard can fill with a gust and swing outboard with the sail filling and the yard forward end swinging outboard and the upper (top) end swinging in making for a partially full sail at the wrong moment. In general the double lazyjack lowers helps when lowering the rig, as Chucks video shows, everything aloft stays in line as it drops.

Hope my rather clunky description makes sense.
Anders Bjorklund wrote:"Being able to control the yard as it comes down into the lazyjacks as Simeon has set up to do is quite an important element."

Can you elaborate, howard?
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miguelito
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by miguelito »

Hello Anders,
Thanks for the link to the Duckworks article on using forward and aft lazy jacks and yard jacklines. This makes a lot of sense to me, and seems less likely to get all tangled up when striking the mast.

I did get fairly lost on the exact position and use of the lines after reading through the piece, and here is what I get: I need a masthead-to-boom loop forward and another aft, and they need to be adjustable. Here's what I don't get: how are the lines lead? do they start and end at the boom, or does one end of each loop lead down to the deck like the halyard? There were too many ins and outs for me to follow in the article, and the photos didn't come through well on my screen, but I can picture it in my little brain, and I'm about to begin the drilling, etc on the yard and boom.
Thanks for the good contributions!
Mike Moore #170 TOR
Anders Bjorklund
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by Anders Bjorklund »

Hi Mike,

It took me a couple reads too, but I think that I got it. The forward sling starts at the masthead, goes around the sail, then under the boom, and is cleated to the side of the mast. The aft sling starts on the boom goes up through a block at the masthead, down the other side of the sail to a block on the boom, and forward to a cleat on the boom, for adjustment. There are other ways to rig them, according to preference.

What was interesting to me is the pair of tight jackstays that he rigged along the yard. By passing the lazyjacks between the yard and the jackstays on their way down the sail, the yard is constrained to drop neatly between the lazyjacks. The peak of the yard is nicely controlled the whole time. Yard jackstays like Chuck's could be used about as well with the more commonly seen ways of rigging lazyjacks too.

Anders
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simeoniii
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by simeoniii »

I've been thinking about that extra ± 24 foot length of line that Chuck runs from end to end of the yard. To what purpose?

Granted it serves to corral the lazy jack lines tight to the yard and thus keep the yard centered as it drop. Without it though, with the weight of the boom as soon as the halyard is slacked, the lazy jack lines are still only about 2 inches apart and seem to constrain the yard just fine as it come down. Am I missing something?

Maybe my yard is more balanced as the upper part comes down fairly evenly and doesn't seem to escape the aft lazy jack arms.

I do notice I have to be careful when hoisting the yard and sail as sometimes the leech of the sail tends to get hung up on the aft lazy jacks as it goes up :oops:
Simeon
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knasman
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by knasman »

SCAMP truly is amazing! I found out this weekend I don't even need water! I spent a wonderful couple of hours on Saturday "driveway sailing". With only eight feet between my house and the neighbors, it was the epitomy of short tacking.

Now that I've got your attention, it wasn't all whiskey and dreaming out there. I initially rolled Zephyr out from under the shelter to step the rig so I could get the measurement between the boom and cabin top for my upcoming dodger adventure. While it was up I decided I'd rig up the other two reefing points and make some alterations. Here's what I did:

- My boom layout is straight off of the plans page and it doesn't work the best for me. In stringing the aft reefing lines I decided that the outhaul needs to be on the starboard side. So I added a cleat over there. That freed up the third cleat for the third reef.
- Forward, I only have two cleats. I thought maybe I could use one cleat for the second and third reefing lines but the cleat just isn't big enough for that. I will be adding a third.
- My dodger will come aft far enough for me to sit right behind B4 and be sheltered out of the rain. The forward block for the mainsheet had to be moved about a foot aft so that it will be behind the dodger edge.

continued.....
Keith Nasman
SCAMP Zephyr #161
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knasman
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by knasman »

- Once the reefing lines were strung up I commenced testing out the triple reef. It was easy enough to just grab the third reefing lines and just pull. The problem is that I ended up with a billowing bundle of sail at the luff. I tried again but this time reefed three times, tying off each of the new tacks and clews. This controlled the forward part of the sail much better.
- I made some quick nettles out of paracord and discovered that its quite a reach to get that forward nettle tied off. It will be imperative that my future dodger be able to fold away forward so I can do this. I suppose one could really loosen the rig up and pull the whole thing aft before re-setting the sail.
Keith Nasman
SCAMP Zephyr #161
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knasman
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Re: Zephyr Cruises

Post by knasman »

To do:
- I'm removing the mast leathering and placing it on the yard. It's just so logical, I don't know why I didn't do it to begin with. It will do its protecting job when hoisting in a sloppy sea as well as at any of the three reefing points.
- I'm going to move the forward reefing cleats on the boom aft to where I can conveniently reach them in the cockpit.
- I need to re-finish the mast already. I am just amazed at the beating it has taken in just a few months.
Keith Nasman
SCAMP Zephyr #161
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