Rigging the Jib

At this point the mast has been raised, the main shrouds fastened, and the forestay tied off to temporarily hold the mast in position. The Jib tension together with the selection of the the holes in the shroud adjuster plates govern both the mast rake and the dinghy performance in the prevailing wind conditions. More wind, more rake and more tension. In light winds the tension should be firm but no more. Decide on the tuning set up to suit the winds conditions as part of rigging the Jib.

  1. Before attaching the Jib wire start by winding in the Jib furler as far as it will go (you will need to release the furling line from its cleat to do so). Ideally do this by winding the furler anti-clockwise but it will work in either direction.
  2. Release the jib halyard from its storage fastening ring at the base of the mast and pull down the jib wire terminated in a thimble and Bow shackle.
  3. Connect the Jib Bow shackle to the spinner at the Head of the Jib sail.
  4. Follow the black border marking down the sail with your fingers, gently pulling on the jib halyard as you do so.
  5. Ensure that the Jib is not entangled with the Mast Forestay. Connect the thimble at the foot of the jib sail to the D shackle on the black furler unit.
  6. The Jib tensioner is at the base of the mast (See below). Haul on the Jib halyard tail rope, checking that the Jib remains clear of the Forestay until the Jib wire and thimble appear from the mast slot. You may need to jiggle the Jib wire backwards and forwards a little to persuade it into the block at the top of the Jib point.  Hook on the Jib tensioner tackle through the thimble, taking care not to trap the soft rope between the hook and the thimble (the rope could be damaged or cut). Use the Jib tensioner until the Jib is taut and then cleat the jib halyard. In light to moderate winds the Jib wire should be firm. Increase the tension for stronger winds
    jib

  7. To rig the Jib sheet find the halfway point by folding it in half. The loop at the centre of the sheet should be fed through the Clew of the Jib sail and the two jib sheet ends fed through the loop to form a Larks foot (also known as a Cow Hitch) knot. Thread the Jib sheet ends into the respective jib sheaves, feeding from the outer most side of the sheaves to the inner
  8. Tie a stopper knot on each of the Jib sheets approx 150mm from the end. Note this leaves sufficient rope free to easily grip and retrieve the end should it run to the stopper knot.  If you usually sail with both Jib sheets tied together (I find this very convenient) then tie a small overhand (granny) knot in the very end of each sheet and then join the sheets using a reef knot. Snug the reef knot down so that the granny knots are tight against the reef knot. This arrangment will stop the reef knot from working loose and in my experience makes handling the Jib easier.
  9. Gently pull the furling line (purple line) to furl the jib but ensure that the forestay wire and the gennaker hoisting line are well clear of the jib wire (the two will readily become entangled and in the worst case you may have to take down the jib to get the furler to operate fully). Note: to extend its life the jib should be furled loosely and as evenly as possible and not left to flap.
  10. At this point the Mast Forestay can be released from around the furler unit and re-attached to the ring at the front base of the Mast. Tie this off firmly to avoid the irritating slapping of this line against the mast whilst sailing.  The leech of the jib / jib sheets tend to foul the forestay fastening when tacking so tape over the fastening using strips of wide heavy duty PVC weather tape to assist the clew of the jib to slip easily around the mast.
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