[C320-list] jam cleat replacement

[Fred LEcuyer]

Rick, thanks for the comments. Has your first mate ever set foot on the boat again???

I also keep the mainsheet on the winches except when I need the winch to furl the mainsail.... which, of course, is when the wind kicks up. So, with a in-mast furling main, you really do need to use both the jam cleat and the winches at the same time.   ...but now I have more respect for what a "jammed" jam cleat can mean.  Thanks for the lesson.

Fred

> From: rsulewski at bex.net
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:13:34 -0500
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> 
> Fred,
> 
> I second Warren's practice of using the cabin top winch to control the
> mainsheet in higher winds, especially for a single line early 320 model. I
> learned my lesson on Lake Erie that is notorious in the spring for rapidly
> kicking up some challenging northeasterly wind and wave action along the
> shallower region of the Western Basin. 
> 
> My jam cleat (clam cleat) learning experience came on my first higher wind
> trip on our then, newly christened 320. Having locked the mainsheet in the
> jam cleat well before the true wind rapidly went from the mid teens to over
> 32 knots, the higher wind speed made it impossible to clear the jam cleat so
> I could ease the traveler or shorten the mainsail with my traditional boom &
> single reef set.
> 
> The wind was also shifting while I was taken off guard and off course.
> Because I was unable to release the tension on the main, I got busy furling
> the headsail and punching course adjustments into the autopilot to remain
> close hauled and nearer the edge of the wind. After I furled the headsail
> and reduced hull speed and heel, I had no other option but to wait out the
> blow.
> 
> We plowed along while the first mate was hanging on with her white knuckles
> securely locked to the lee side companionway handle(s) I had installed
> earlier in the day. As we proceeded close hauled, leaping up and then over
> those sharp edged waves. By the end of the blow we were in 8 footers. The
> bow was leaping out of the water before the hull crashed down the wave
> picking up speed only to plow into the middle of the next wave and resulting
> in water coming over the topsides and pouring into the cockpit. The entire
> thrill ride lasted for almost a half hour and several miles off course. The
> blow finally subsided to the lower 20s and the wind shifted again so I could
> begin a course heading to my destination island. When the wind subsided I
> released the mainsheet from the jam cleat and began using the cabin winch to
> control the main (ever since).
> 
> Had I been using the cabin winch all along instead of the jam cleat to
> control the mainsheet on that particular day, I could have eased the main,
> eased the traveler and eventually shorted the mainsail to find a more
> tolerable wind/wave angle and hull speed to enjoy the high wind experience.
> Instead, I was thinking how much longer can we continue to remain off
> course, rolling and pounding away while watching the standing rigging take
> those high load shocks again and again each time we ran up, over, and down
> into the waves..... all the while wondering if I should reach for the claw
> hammer or a crow bar to release that mainsheet jam cleat. 
> 
> I learned to begin to reef much earlier and even added an additional set of
> reef points at the end of that first season. The other lesson I learned from
> that jam cleat experience is that my 320 can stand up to anything I am ever
> going to give it because the boat's limits are far more than conditions I
> may ever sail in! 
> 
> Rick
> My-Ria #277
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Fred LEcuyer
> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 5:58 PM
> To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> 
> 
> Thanks, Warren. I trust the jam cleat so little that I always use the winch
> (both in my case) to secure the mainsheet. The only time it comes off is
> when we are furling or unfurling the main and need the winch.  It's when the
> wind starts to really rev up that I most need to rely on the jam cleat and
> that's exactly when I don't trust it.
> 
> Fred
> 
> > From: wupdike at hotmail.com
> > To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> > Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:52:03 -0500
> > Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > 
> > Fred, someone else mentioned it, so I should emphasize that when winds are
> > strong I use the cabin-top winch to manage the main sheet.  On these older
> > hulls the main sheet is a single feed (stbd side) not a dual feed as on
> > newer hulls.  Still, I find it no problem to use the cabin-top winch.
> > Warren
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Fred LEcuyer [mailto:fred.lecuyer at live.com] 
> > Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 9:34 PM
> > To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
> > Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > 
> > 
> > Thanks, Warren.  Given all the comments, I'm wondering if my first step is
> > to wash the mainsheet. It doesn't seem to hold well currently.
> > 
> >  I've had it release while furling the main in heavy winds.... not a fun
> > thing!
> > 
> > Thanks for the advice!
> > 
> > Fred
> > 
> > 
> > > From: wupdike at hotmail.com
> > > To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> > > Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:45:34 -0500
> > > Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > > 
> > > Fred, my slip-mate is a Hunter 35.5 named "First Light."  
> > > My locking tab was broken years ago.  I thought about replacing it with
> a
> > > clutch; but, decided to wait.  I no longer feel I need to replace it.
> > It's
> > > easy to use and easy to let go.  In 7 years, the number of time the
> sheet
> > > has let go unexpectedly are few.  Just make sure you properly set the
> > sheet
> > > in it by pulling forward.  One benefit is that I can take the sheet aft
> to
> > > the wheel and control a gybe single handedly.  
> > > 
> > > Warren & Pattie Updike
> > > 1994 C320 #62 "Warr De Mar"
> > > 
> > > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Fred LEcuyer [mailto:fred.lecuyer at live.com] 
> > > Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 10:48 AM
> > > To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
> > > Subject: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Has anybody replaced the jam cleats for the mainsheet?  The locking tab 
> > > on our 2003 First Light has broken off and I was never very happy about 
> > > secure the line was going through the jam cleat. 
> > > 
> > > Has anyone changed that to a rope clutch?  Thoughts about it?
> > > 
> > > Fred
> > > 
> > > First Light
> > > #926
> > > 
> > >  		 	   		  
> > > 
> >  		 	   		  
> > 
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