[Rhodes22-list] Small problem when coming about.

[Roger Pihlaja]

Jim,

Take a plastic margarine container (big enough to fit over the mooring
cleat) & drill two 3/16" ID holes about 1" down from the rim & 5/16" apart
on one side.  Drill a 5/16" ID hole about 1" down from the rim & directly
opposite the two holes.  (i.e. On the diameter that splits the distance
between the two 3/16" ID holes)  Now, take a piece of 1/8" OD X 12" Long
shock cord, fold it in half, & thread each half thru one of the 3/16" ID
holes starting from the outside & going into the container.  Run both pieces
of shock cord across the inside of the margarine container & thread both
ends thru the 5/16" ID hole from the inside going out.  Put a stopper knot
in one of the shock cords on the outside of the container.  Now, put the
entire shock cord under a little tension from the unknotted end & tie in
another stopper knot.  You want to end up with two partially stretched shock
cords running side-by-side across the ID of the container.  Now, to use this
device, go to the foredeck mooring cleat.  Take your index finger, hook it
under one of the shock cords approximately in the middle of the container, &
form a loop in the shock cord by twisting.  Slip this loop over one of the
horns on the cleat.  Reach under the container, form a loop in the middle of
the other shock cord, & slip it over the other horn on the cleat.  The 1st
shock cord will stretch enough to make forming & placing this 2nd loop over
the horn of the cleat pretty easy.  Viola!  Your cleat is now "streamlined"
& won't be fouling any more sheets while you are coming about.  It also
won't be fouling the roller furling control line if it should develop a
little slack.  Yet, the container is easy to remove when you want to use the
cleat.  If you like this setup, you could even substitute a small round
stainless steel bowl for the margarine container for that "polished" look.
You may have to slightly modify the above dimensions to suit the geometry of
the particular mooring cleat installed on your boat's foredeck, but you get
the concept.

Good luck!

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: <LafingBear at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:54 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Small problem when coming about.


> Hi Folks!  I don't know if you folks have ever had this problem but with
the
> brains on this list someone may have a simple solution. I usually sail
alone
> and when it's really windy and I have to come about fast I just let the
line on
> the one winch loose push the tiller over all the way and start pulling in
on
> the other side as fast as I can. On several occassions, usually while
trying
> to beat  other sailboats across the lake, the line from the genny has
gotton
> hung up on the forward deck cleat as the genny comes across. This means I
have
> to leave the tiller, grab the pole, sprawl across the hatchway and flip
the
> line free of the cleat. This only happens when I have the genny all the
way out,
> it's very windy and I'm in a big hurry. Is there something I can put over
the
> cleat, or on the cleat, to prevent the line from snagging? Yeah, I know I
> don't know all the correct terms for everything, but you guys know what I
mean.
> Any and all serious suggestions would be gratefully received.
> I'll be at the NJ show on Thur. and I hope to run into some of you folks.
> Jim Gifford
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