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West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
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Judy,
You have just touched on what I was trying to ask yesterday on the boat: What
if we had just tensioned the backstay? See, we slacked the backstay to hoist
the mast and secure the CDI foot. When I did this for my trip to Monterey last
weekend, I counted the turns on the turnbuckle (an even dozen). But, I'm not
even certain it was tuned up after I had re-tuned the slack shrouds. When I
put the mast up this weekend, I was talking to my friends and forgot about the
backstay. I didn't realize it until we hoisted the main sail and confused the
backstay for the topping lift!
I guess what I would like to know is, how much tension is appropriate for a
backstay? Is there a tension to start at? With the upper and lower shrouds
tuned to the 14% and 10% range respectively (as is suggested in the fractional
rig tuning guides I have read--and per your suggestions), I had a devil of a
time getting the CDI foot off to lower the mast. It was much easier once I
loosened the backstay. Is this what others have found? Or was loosening the
backstay the wrong thing todo?
The upper and lower shrouds are set aft the mast (in a fractional rig),
therefore when I tuned my slack shrouds, I also placed additional tension on my
forestay/CDI. How does one judge the proper tension on a "forestay" when ones
forestay is really a "CDI?"
I realize that re-tightening the backstay is something that I should do before
hoisting the main sail ;-) but how much? I have had similar "forgets" when I
get to talking to interested parties on the dock about the Deep Blue,... Oh the
trials and tribs of being a POOP!
Chris Beatty
P19 #1176 Deep Blue
Alameda, CA
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