I've just bought Constance and spent the last month working on getting back in the water. Nearly there, but having problems with the jib - the way it's set up (see picture) just doesn't look right. The stress put on the furler distorts it so that the cable guide rubs against the drum and makes it hard to turn, and the pair of blocks mean there's insufficient room to pull it tight enough. Does anyone advice or maybe a picture of what this assembly should look like?
Hi Kevin,
Have a look at this topic http://www.winklebrig.org/smf/index.php?topic=15.0
The only modification I have since made is by attaching a collar to the drum to stop the furling line dropping off the drum and getting snagged around the forestay (photos hopefully attached). There is a gap of 1 inch in the collar to allow the furling line access to the drum.
Also look on youtube, search for 'winkle brig mast' and you will see a video of me lowering and raising the mast. Having the running tackle at the top of the forestay rather than at the bottom makes it so so easy.
Thanks very much Dave, I'm going to give that a try. One thing I'm not quite clear about is where the halyard goes when it leaves the brass fitment at the top of the mast - does it go straight out to the existing triple block on the cabin and then back to a cleat, or are there any other fittings involved?
And on a totally unrelated subject, do you know where the second block on the topping lift is meant to attach to on the boom?