Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 138

Downhaul for pulling in a reef

Reef pendent - Note use of milk carton tops on each side of the cringle for securing the pendent

There are only a few minor things left to do to make ‘Talitha’ completely finished. Today I set up her reefing system so that I can put a reef in within seconds by pulling a single line and making it fast to a cleat on the boom. I can lower the sail if need be by easing the halyard, and if it is necessary, I can tie the other reefing lines at my leisure.

The anchor, chain and warp are stowed in a waterproof bag

This shows how the anchor is deployed, via its warp through a thimble attached to the painter

I also sorted out the anchor so that it can be deployed and retrieved without too much effort. This is done by passing the end of the anchor warp through a thimble which is permanently attached to the painter; then the warp is tied to the anchor chain which is already joined to the anchor. The anchor and chain are lowered over the side; then the warp is paid out until there is sufficient length for the depth of water, at which point the warp is tied to the thimble. Finally, the painter is paid out until the boat is lying to her anchor by the bow. The tail end of the painter is then tied or cleated to a fixture within reach of the cockpit.

To retrieve the anchor, the process is reversed. As the warp is taken in, it is flaked into a waterproof bag, and after the anchor has been scrubbed clean, it is stowed on top of the warp, along with its chain. The bag and contents are then tightly lashed to the starboard side of the keel box, to effectively become internal ballast.