I have a 354 and when I purchased it, the prior owner had taken the “single” and “double” reef lines and blocks inside the wishbone out, used the single reef line for the tack single reef cringle and the double reef for the clew single reef cringle.
His attitude was that If you got to a point you needed two reefs, it would be blowing pretty damn hard and there was enough windage from the sail and boom to control the boat AND the two lines gave much better control over the single reef. I haven’t changed it
Thanks, Brian (using first name okay?) just went to take a look with a sailor, felt I am on the right track if I call you and discuss the rigging. I will get it home to Lopez and contact you. My min concern is the single line for the topping lift (start at aft end of boom, goes to a sheave at the top of the mast next to the halyard sheave, goes down the mast internally most of the way and end at the cockpit), when I see that so many people have a different setup with 4 to 1 advantage. But then , they are not 260s.
I shouldn’t speak for Brian but I’m sure that he and the rest of us would never address any of us by anything other than our first names. This is a VERY informal gang !!
Unless the 260 is a REALLY different sort of rig, I have a funny feeling that the line that you think is your topping lift is actually a spare (or even the main) halyard. The topping lift is (usually) a steel cable attached to the masthead. It comes down and attaches to a block and tackle arrangement with a line that travels along the boom, down the mast and back to the cockpit. That way, you, using the mechanical advantage of the aforementioned block and tackle (4 to 1, 6 to 1, whatever) can raise or lower the aft end of the boom easily, from the cockpit.
Or, much to my amazement, your topping lift works like a halyard from the masthead (but that’s unbelievable, frankly).
Here’s one more out-of-the-box thought. You have to move the boat home and, for many good reasons, want to have the sail useable even if you motor. If you run out of time and the wherewithal to fully rig all of the reef lines properly in the time you have left, why not tie in the tack and clew FIRST reef points (tight to the mast for the tack and run a tight line through the clew cringle, aft, from the padeye on one side of the boom to the block on the other side of the boom). Do this so that the sail cannot be raised fully but will raise until the first reef position, giving you close to full power if you wish to sail (or … motor sail) but keeping you safe and comfy AND REEFED if the wind is howling.
Then, safe at home (whew …), you’ll have all the time in the world to wade through Bob Neches’ marvelous photo-guides without feeling stressed. And, you’ll have plenty of time to soak all of those encrusted lines in Woolite and warm water.
Ernie’s got a great suggestion for the cautious approach to using the sail in the meantime. If you’re in safer waters, you could alternatively temporarily rig the sail without reefing lines and just plan to drop it entirely if the wind exceeds your comfort level (or 16 kts until everything’s in shape, IHMO).
There’s a lot to be said for having some fun with a boat under restricted conditions when viable, even if projects remain that make it unready to use in all conditions. It improves morale on long projects.
Ernie’s also right that many of our boats have a multi-part block and tackle arrangement connecting the topping lift pennant and the aft end of the boom, which greatly facilitates adjusting the boom angle. However, I’ve recently discovered that this is not true for all our boats. I’ve now seen both a 26 and a 36 where the topping lift is attached directly to the aft boom end, runs through a sheave at the top of the mast, and then down to the base and back to the cockpit.
For those boats, adjusting boom angle requires putting the topping lift on a winch. Given that 260’s apparently have carbon fiber wishbones in addition to carbon fiber masts, this might not be as big an inconvenience for a 260 as it is for aluminum wishbone owners if that’s how their rigging works.
There appear to be only half a dozen or so 260s among all the INA members, so there are many questions only those few can resolve.
– Bob
Solar Wind
Nonsuch 26C #143 (for now - in the process of buying another)