Mizzen sail

[Jamesphillipps]

Just taken delivery of BRe. All very exciting. Never used mizzen before. Have heard some say just set it up and leave it to itself, any advice? Similarly does mizzen sail need to be tuned. - or just pull downhaul and outhaul tight?, does it need to be eased off in less windy conditions?

James Phillipps

[Colin Morley]

Hi James,

Some stuff has been written about the mizzen in the forum. Here are my practical tips:

1. when setting the mizzen pull the outhaul as tight as you can easily manage. In theory you can vary this as with the main but I never do. Clamp the outhaul hight in the jamming cleat. It can easily jump out.
2. When raising main it is useful to fix the mizzen sheets so the mizzen is lying fore and aft. That helps keep the boat pointing into the wind.
3. When sailing adjust the sheets to keep a good sail shape. That usually means it is closer to the centre line than the other sails. If it starts to flap tighten the sheet.
4. If you want a flat sail get it in the right place for sailing with the windward sheet. Then tighten the lee side sheet as well to pull the mizzen boom/sprit down a bit.
5. Always keep both sheets in the jamming cleats. If not as you gybe the mizzen and its boom will blow right round to face forwards and then it can be difficult to get it back round in position. Pulling the sheet does not help until the boom is behind the mizzen mast.
6. The best use of the mizzen is aiding tacking either when you are close tacking up a river or the wind is light. Use the mizzen like the tail fin on a plane. Pull it to windward and it quickly helps the bow turn to windward.
7. Mizzen and jib are a good combination if the wind is too much and you drop the main.
8. Having a mizzen gets admiring comments because it looks pretty.

Where do you sail? Perhaps one of us can help you?

[Graham W]

1. when setting the mizzen pull the outhaul as tight as you can easily manage. In theory you can vary this as with the main but I never do. Clamp the outhaul tight in the jamming cleat. It can easily jump out.

I think my plastic Clamcleat must be wearing out, as the outhaul has an increasing tendency to jump out.  I counter this by winding the outhaul line several times round the forward part of the mizzen boom but I think I'm going to have to replace it soon. 

[Peter Taylor]

I think my plastic Clamcleat must be wearing out, as the outhaul has an increasing tendency to jump out. 

I've replaced most of the plastic Clamcleats on Seatern with metal ones and where appropriate added wedges (part no. CL818) underneath and cages on top (the keeper can still be used even with a cage).  On the Mizzen boom I've replaced the supplied cleat with a side entry Clamcleat (with keeper but no cage or wedge) which, together with a snatch block, allows the boom to be detached from the sail which I find a huge advantage (...no doubt I'll find the disadvantage at some point!). See my various post under the thread in the technical section...
http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,1145.0.html
Peter