Page 39 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

dled length. This works well and uses little material,
but short pieces aren’t really necessary, since a little
slack matters less here than on the mainsail. And
the oceans of the world are littered with dropped,
blown, or washed overboard sail stops. So, take an
old halyard instead (or use the sail’s downhaul),
and get into “Swedish Furling.” No, this is not an
Figure 1-22D. Marling Hitches—still more time- ethnic joke like “Irish Pennant” or “Spanish Reel.”
consuming, but still more snug. It’s a series of slipped hitches, again worked aft
(Figure 1-23).
and aft (the pulley principle). Better still, “marl” the Start with a Bowline, bring the standing part
sail on. The Marling Hitch (Figure 1-22D) is a form around the sail, and pass a bight of it through the
of overhand knot with the ends led at right angles to eye of the Bowline. Pull the bight through until it is
the turn. It is less likely to slip and pass slack along 12 to 18 inches long or so, depending on the size of
the boom than Half Hitches. Compare these two the sail. Now bring the standing part around again,
knots, the Marling Hitch and the Half-Hitch, until in the opposite direction, and pull another bight
you are sure of the distinction between them. through the eye of the first one. Repeat this maneu-
Marling is an excellent general-purpose lashing ver, making a zigzag of interlocking bights down the
for bundles of wood, pipe, etc., and especially for length of the sail. At the end, make a longer bight
tarp-covered cartop loads, where it keeps the tarp and half-hitch it around the sail, or belay it to a con-
from blowing to noisy shreds as you drive. venient cleat, post, or crewmember. To undo, cast
off the last bight and haul on the standing part. Zip,
Swedish Furling zip, zip! Ready to hoist. This technique also works
Moving forward from the main boom, we come to on boomed sails, though care must be taken to keep
a doused headsail. It only needs to be held in place blocks and cleats from snagging the bights.
temporarily. We’ll want to break it out with a min-
imum of fuss, so marling is too time-consuming to A Marline Lashing
use here. Moving aft, we come to a life-preserver bracket
The usual procedure is to tie “stops”—short lashed to a lifeline stanchion. This is a permanent
lengths of rope or webbing—along the sail’s bun- seizing of small twine made around a relatively light

Figure 1-23. Swedish Furling. Easy to tie, a pleasure to untie.

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