If retrofitting a code furler and sail onto an existing rig, it may be difficult or impossible to create a 2:1 halyard purchase. Most rigs designed to fly such sails feature 2:1 high-modulus headsail halyards with a turning block on the halyard just above the top swivel. This means it should be set up bone-tight, particularly if you want to keep the sail’s luff as straight as possible. A torque rope in the luff of a modern Code Zero-type sail must serve both as an effective furling spine and will in many cases also temporarily carry the equivalent of a full headstay load. Such kit is currently standard equipment on many raceboats and is increasingly popular with cruisers.Ĭareful thought must also be given to the halyard supporting the sail. Equipment like this is still available, but the more refined systems now feature specially woven “anti-torque” ropes (usually just called “torque ropes”) and sleek low-profile continuous-line furlers. Initially, such systems tended to be fairly facile, employing light twin luff lines sewn into the sail to create a twist-resistant spine and lightweight single-line drum furlers similar to those used in conventional jib-furling systems. 46) that furl on their own luffs and can be easily hoisted and doused while rolled up on themselves. Most innovations have grown out of the development of large light-air headsails (see “Engine Savers” on pg. Since then, however, there’s been an interesting reverb effect, in which offshore racers have created ever more refined and versatile furling technologies that are now trickling back into the cruising community. After cruisers tested and perfected these systems about 30 years ago, they were widely adopted on certain types of raceboats. Though most sailing innovations are born on racing boats, cruisers can take credit for pioneering and popularizing the concept of the modern furling headsail.
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