Most of us think about sailing as the activity of sailing the boat on the water with a perfect warm breeze and sun on our face. For us trailer sailors the act of getting to that point can be frustrating, difficult, and down right scary at times.
How do we get from the trailering position/set up to the sailing position/set up in as little time as possible, with as little effort and stress as possible?
In truth there is no perfect answer to this question just is there is no perfect boat but there are projects that you can do to make it better.
This is what I have found.
You need a mast crutch on the stern of your boat to support the mast in both a lower trailering position as well as a raised mast raising position. Sail La Vie uses the ruder craft kick up rudder which can come with the additional accessory of the mast crutch. I highly recommend this.
You need a mast step that is as simple to use as possible. My preference is the Dwyer turnbuckle mast step because there is no pin to insert. The pin is built into the base of the mast and the step receives this. Simply slide into place and your done. No pin to insert, no ring to mess with, drop, loose, etc. No tools required and its quick.
If you have a roller furler like Sail La Vie then you need a way to support the drum, which extends out past the end of the mast in the trailer position, from flopping around. For me the solution here was a simple wooden channel which slides onto the bow rail providing a solid support for both the mast on the bow and the roller furler.
For those with a roller furler you also need a quick way to secure it to the mast. For me I prefer (2) 6" bungee tarp tie downs put together. They hold secure and are quick to both put on and take off.
You need a safe way to hoist the mast up into position. I attached a connection point on Sail La Vie up the mast as high as I could and still be able to reach when the mast was raised. I then use my main sheet block and tackle system attaching one end to this mast connection and the other to a connection point on the bow rail. Sail La Vie is small enough that I don't require baby stays. From the cockpit I am able to push the mast up and at the same time pull on the main sheet. As the mast raises the side stays tighten and I finish the lift off by pulling tight on the main sheet slightly over the final resting point of the mast. With the main sheet holding the mast up I can then go forward and attach the rolling furler drum to the connection point on the bow. Here I use another quicker pin, a safety coupler locking pin.
I should also point out that I am able to raise the mast to the to a position past its final resting point because I installed an adjustable back stay system on Sail La Vie. This allows me to loosen the backstay before raising the mast. Raise the mast. Install the roller furler. Remove the main sheet, and then tighten the back stay, completing the lift.
So that is it. That is the process I came up with for Sail La Vie. It works for me. There are many ways to do the same thing and each boat has a unique features that need to be taken into consideration. Hopefully there is a nugget of value here that can help you out.
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