Posted by Mike Field on July 04, 2000 at 11:56:36 from 203.18.21.200:
In Reply to: Re: Optimist dinghy conversion posted by Jim Satterfield on July 03, 2000 at 22:51:23:
I'm inclined to go with Jim's last comment, Kevin--do it, and then tell us how.
For what it's worth, my 15' sloop Aileen Louisa is sprit-rigged, and I've found a brail to be most useful for tricing up quickly. It's quite a light line (less than 1",) is fastened at the mast, runs across one side of the mainsail, through a brass grommet at the peak, back to the mast across the other side, then down through another couple of grommets in the luff (inside the lacing,) ends in a stopper knot, and simply hangs there. To trice up, you just slacken the sheet, grab the stopper knot, pull, and make fast to a handy cleat. Quicker than reefing. And it will work with any boomless sail.