The original John Watkinson design for the Drascombe Lugger mainsheet:
- End of the sheet attached to an eye on the aft deck starboard of the mizzen
- Sheet runs up to a parrallel double block at the clew of the main
- Back down to a single block on the traveller back up to clew of the main
- Down to an upright singleblock on the aft deck port of the mizzen
- Sheet led forward through fairlead under traveller track to fairlead on base of tiller
- Cleat, if used, is further up on the tiller
On Ondine, we've converted the mainsheet to an arrangement I was already used to from our previous Wanderer, and seems common to aft-sheeted dinghies.
Essentially, we replaced the parallel double block on the clew with an inline double block, and replaced the single block on the traveller car with an inline double-block and becket. The fixing and upright block either side of the mizzen are redundant:
- The mainsheet runs from the becket on the traveller block
- Up through the top wheel of the clew block
- Down to the top wheel of the traveller block
- Back up to the lower wheel of the clew
- To the lower wheel of the traveller block
- Out to the helmsman's hand
We've been sailing with this setup in some, at times, quite boisterous
conditions for over a year now, and haven't found any disadvantages to it.
5 comments:
Does a 74 sq foot sail really need a four part purchase?
No. It's a case of we had it so we used it.
I manage more sail area in my Enterprise's mainsail on a two part purchase with only an 8mm mainsheet, and I know a couple of other Drascombes that use a similar arrangement but with only a two part purchase. And, more often, without the cleat.
In the case of our boat, we already had the cleated fiddle block which we'd removed from our previous Wanderer.
I don't know why the Wanderer's previous owner had installed it. A two part purchse system is more standard. We removed it and substituted a single ratchet block and becket before we even lauched the boat so it was kicking around in our box of spares.
That said, the four part purchase does make sheeting in to trim the sail a breeze even in quite stroppy weather, and doesn't seem to impede the free running of the mainsheet when spilling air in a gust.
It's not exactly delicate, but then nothing about a Drascombe is delicate.
Of course, halving the purchase would reduce the size and weight of the block on the clew, which would be no bad thing, but overall I'm quite happy with the system as it is.
Have you found that the arrangement you've arrived at with your main sheet affords you a fairly evenly ballenced tension on both the leech and the foot of the sail? Your set up is exactly what was on the Gig I learned to sail on but I've been concerned it might change the direction of pull to far downward and cause the foot to loosen and spill wind especially when close hauled. Has that been an issue for you. Im restoring a lugger in Western Massachusetts and I would love to simplify my main sheet run. Thank you for your post you have a way with your writing that makes it easy to visualize. Thanks again and fair winds to you- sincerely- Farlin Black
Yes, in so far as a Drascombe Lugger's sail is ever properly balanced without a boom. We certainly had no detriment to the sail's performance when close-hauled and beating to windward, helped, perhaps, by the angle of the sheeting to the clew of the mainsail. Off wind there wasn't enough weight in the double block to offset the shape of the sail, again already a little compromised by lack of boom.
It's been a few years now since we sold our Lugger and moved onto bigger boats (though I still race dinghies too). If I ever bought another Lugger (and I'd be tempted, they're lovely) then I'd set the mainsheet up like this again.
Though I might be tempted to simplify it further with a ratchet block and becket on the track, and just a single block on the main, at the sacrifice of one of the purchases, as per my comment back in 2012.
Good luck with your restoration, and fair winds and sailing to you too, Farlin.
- Bill
I can't edit my comment. I actually meant "No, in so far as a Drascombe Lugger's sail is ever properly balanced . . . " Sorry if my reply was in any way confusing!
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