New (to me) sail: Fisherman/Mule

[Eddie Offermann]

Borrowed Muff's mule (fisherman) sail. The lady and I have been fiddling with it today - which made me suddenly realize (after seeing Muff's rigging on MISTRI) what this doohickey in my rigging locker is for. Gerald was also able to confirm for me that the odd forward-facing bracket on the mizzen was for: it's where you attach the fisherman to!

One thing is for certain: the mule PULLS - with what seemed like light wind on deck (she was barely moving in the air close to the deck), she became tough to manage aloft. We're working on handling techniques at the dock to make it as rehearsed and streamlined as possible. I can't wait to get out in the bay with it, though!

We're using a continuous halyard at the mizzen to keep tension on the head when raising and I'm making another for the clew to go to the mainmast for the same reason - having some downward tension on it as you raise it makes all the difference in the world for managing it. I definitely see the value in Leprechaun's mule-on-a-furler!

[Eddie Offermann]

Adding to this, I've been reading Hand, Reef, and Steer - Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats. Fantastic book. Though it focuses on gaff-rigged vessels, it's the first book I've ever picked up that extensively covers techniques applicable to sailing ketch rigs. This last weekend I also had the pleasure of chatting with an old salt who sails a 1931 gaff-rigged ketch with more traditional rigging (blocks instead of winches) - and was plenty familiar with tops'ls like the fisherman/mule.

Sounds like a potential key with hoisting the fisherman is to ensure it's not twisted, flake it into a relatively neat stack and wrap it with cheap rubber bands. Hoist it by halyard and sheet then yank on the line connected to the foot (run through the harness shackled to the mizzen - which I ought to take a picture of and get dimensions for folks that don't have one). The rubber bands pop, the fisherman unrolls with a crack, and off you go! Aforementioned old salt ensures me that at least one rubber band will always inexplicably hang on and you'll wonder how it can possibly do it.

The goal of course is to keep the sail as manageable as possible while raising it.

[Eddie Offermann]

I do the same thing on the genoa, btw - after fighting with it too many times to make it slide forward of the staysail, it's easiest to roll it in and unfurl it on the other side unless I have somebody actively tending it. It's really a lot of fun sailing with a crew that takes up those responsibilities, but usually we're either shorthanded or sailing with a bunch of people that aren't particularly sailor-y.

[Eddie Offermann]

SO NICE is ketch rigged, with a roller-furled genoa, a clubfooted staysail and typical main and mizzen wire rigging. The spinnaker pole needs an end replaced - but she's otherwise ready to fly it as well. I do feel like I need to update the spinnaker rigging for better control.

There's a foreword-rigged halyard for a mule or a mizzen stays'l (but only just the one - can't haul both right now).

My plan is to have a couple more halyards rigged. At the moment, I have added a double block to the mainsail halyard wire and am running dycore rope halyards for the mainsail and the mule through that - so I'd like another halyard added to the main and a second to the mizzen so I could fly the mizzen staysail and the mule together.

I'd love to meet up when you're nearby - let me know! We could drive up to Oxnard for a weekend while you're there - we like the area - and maybe you can drop by here on your way down or otherwise come visit our boat, too.

[paul ~ sv; pink cloud]

Hi Eddie,

Not sure what your rig is.  Ive got the schooner , That gives me the two working boomed gibs ( love them, they tack like the main, just turn 90 degrees and all is well, no need to pull a jib around.)  unless we uses the genoa that is roller furl from the tip of bow sprit.   And that roller furl genoa we often just roll it it and re deploy on new tack,  would not want to spill a beer you know.

So, Above my staysail jib , we have the  the gollywobbler....goes way up in the triangle above the jib. Used  for reach or off wind,   is like a spinaker.   It picks wind not on deck.   Its a fav sail of ours for off  the wind ,,,,  reach.

 Ps,  Im going to be in your area in June,  Going Haul My boat again in Oxnard June 1 and make final prep to sail to Honolulu  ( with transpac gang , July 6th)    We   Connect  for a brew? ,  I have wheels at my boat, kind of

Paul