[C320-list] Oops! There goes the forestay

[Michael Leschisin]

Hey Guys,

A question for those replacing this part on the forestay.  How are you measuring the tension on the forestay so that it’s properly adjusted once replacing the part?  Are you strictly working off the backstay tension? Does the lower shroud tension have an affect on the backstay reading vs the forestay?  Are you using Loos gages and do you have numbers for tuning the rig?  The only guidelines I’ve been able to find on tuning a 320 rig is a paper posted on the 320 Assoc. site by a gentleman from Quantum sails regarding tuning for racing.  As a cruiser, I find the guidelines more aggressive than I would like to set my rig and have had trouble finding any “Loos” numbers for a low key cruising boat.

Thanks much,

Michael Leschisin
Wild Blue Yonder
2004 C320 #995
Menominee, MI




> On Aug 22, 2024, at 10:41 PM, SARA SCHROEDER via C320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:
> 
> Checked mine tonight and all appears to be good. However, since our boats are only two years apart it's getting replaced.  Thanks Jack and so glad your experience and wisdom got you home safely.
> 
> Sara
> Wandering Star
> Seattle
> #707/2000
> 
>> On 08/22/2024 4:29 PM PDT Jack Brennan via C320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Re-reading my original post, I need to make one correction. The toggle is between the chainplate and the forestay, not the turnbuckle.
>> 
>> Jack Brennan
>> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
>> Tierra Verde, Fl.
>> ________________________________
>> From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> on behalf of Jack Brennan via C320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2024 3:50 PM
>> To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
>> Cc: Jack Brennan <jackbrennan333 at outlook.com>
>> Subject: [C320-list] Oops! There goes the forestay
>> 
>> Just a quick recounting of a problem I had recently that might help someone else:
>> 
>> I was sailing about 10 days ago in 20-plus-knot winds, jib only, when suddenly I heard a big boom. At first, I thought maybe I had absent-mindedly hit a channel marker. Then I saw the forestay with furler swinging through the air.
>> 
>> Somehow, I got the spare halyard rigged as a brace before the mast came down. (Thanks to Catalina for three shrouds on each side!) Then I pulled in the sail and secured the furler before I made a slow, careful motor through choppy seas back to my slip.
>> 
>> What broke was a heavy-duty toggle (I think that's what it's called) at the bottom of the furler that connects the forestay to the turnbuckle. It's hidden by the furling drum, so you can't casually inspect it.
>> 
>> From the looks of it, it had crevice corrosion and had been working itself toward a massive failure for a couple of years. I had the boat rerigged six years ago, so it was fine then, but it was the original toggle, I believe.
>> 
>> The rigger who fixed it told me that he has seen plenty of these toggles break over the years when they get old, so it might be worth a look sometime to prevent a disaster. From what I could tell, you loosen the drum and pull it up to get a look at the toggle.
>> 
>> I'm really glad it happened in Tampa Bay, a couple of miles from the marina, instead of when I'm 30 miles offshore coming home from Key West.
>> 
>> Jack Brennan
>> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
>> Tierra Verde, Fl.