How to Rig and De-Rig a Ballasted Yacht

By William, Younis & Beth

Steps to Rig a Beneteau:

Minimum recommended number of people to rig a Beneteau - 3.

Choose Beneteau yacht to rig.

Collect appropriate equipment for rigging including main and foresail sails, ensuring they have the same sail numbers as the boat you have chosen, and the daily bag which includes:

Winch handles Elastic reefing lines Velcro strip of for tying down the clew of the main sail onto the boom. Fabric straps to tie the main sail to the boom if you have to pull down the main sail.

Take the equipment down to the boat you have chosen.

Now that you are down by your boat, before you can rig you must first check to see where the wind is coming form. This is important so that when you are rigging your boat, it dose not sail away, and it also makes raising the sails much easier.

You can use several methods to determine which way the wind is coming form.

Look on the water to see what directions the ripples are travelling, this is the direction the wind is travelling.

Look to see if there are any flags that will be waving in the opposite direction to where the wind is coming.

Other wind indicators on top of the masts of your or others boat around you which will be pointing in the direction the wind is coming from.

Now we need to have some one get on to the boat. This is done by holding onto the shrouds with one hand put one foot on the side of the boat, with the other on the dock. Then with the second foot, step over the side rail and onto the boat. Then bring the first foot over like the second and you have safely stepped aboard the boat.

The next thing to do is get the equipment you have brought down to the boat aboard. Have the two people on the dock pass the equipment to the person on the boat.

The sail in the sail bags can be left on the floor of the deck while the dillybag can be put in the forward hatch. To open the hatch you need to turn the latches on the hatch toward the middle to unlock it, then pull up the hatch. To lock the hatch, push the latches toward the outside of the hatch, away from the centre. There should be some netting within the hatch, just place the dillybag in the netting.

Next we need to position the boat into the wind, this is done by taking the bow line attached to the boat and give it to someone in on the dock.

The boat will be attached to the dock with bow and stern lines and springers. First take off the springer lines before taking off the bow and stern lines, then position the boat by pushing the it, using the bow line and allowing the wind to push, position the boat so the bow of the boat is pointing into the wind.

Tie the bowline to a near by bollard (horn cleat) by making figure 8’s with the rope before finishing off with a loop pulled tight on both sides.

The next thing to do is to check the safety equipment on the boat.

Some will be in the forward hatch. Open the hatch and feel under the ledge closest to the mast, you should feel a clip. Un-clip it from the boat, which will cause the netting to retract towards the bow of the boat. Then lean in to the hatch looking towards the mast end of the hatch where you should see a bag. Remove the bag out on to the deck and check the safety equipment within it. It may vary but there should be:

4 flares, (2 red spark flares and 2 orange smoke flares) A working torch A very sharp knife (be carful when handling so you don’t cut your self, as it may be

rusty) A first aid kit.

Once you have established it is all there, (if it’s not then go and see someone about it or try and find a replacement), repack the bag and return it back to where it was and re-clip the netting in the hatch. Each time you use the forward hatch, remember to close and lock it.

Some of the safety equipment will also be found in the compartment in the deck floor. To open it lift up the two handles and turn them 90 degrees so they are both pointing to the bow and stern of the boat. Then pull the handle up to open the compartment and check the safety equipment within it.

Again it may vary but there should be:

A bucket and lanyard Paddles Anchor and chain

Once you have established it is all there, close the compartment and lock the handles by turning them 90 degrees back the way they were and laying them flat on the floor. There should also be a life ring located under the tiller at the stern of the boat, tied down by some elastic bungy cord.

Now we need to prepare to raise the sails of the boat.

There are three types of ropes on a boat

1. Halyard, which is a rope that is attached to the head of a sail and is used to raise the sails up the mast or forestay.

2. Sheet, which is used to control a sail by pulling it on to make the boat go faster or point up into the wind, or to let out to depower the sail or point away from the wind.

3. Lanyard, which is any rope that is not a halyard or sheet and used on the boat or sails of the boat that has an end in ready access to make an alteration to the boat or the sails of the boat; this can include outhaul, ropes attached to buckets or tying people to the boat in rough seas.

There are three sides and three corners to a sail. These include:

Sides

1. Foot, the base of the sail

2. Luff, the edge of the sail that is attached to the forestay or the mast with clips or cars that run up the track in the mast.

3. Leech the back edge of the sail

Corners

1. Head, is the top corner of the sail

2. Tack, is the corner of the sail that is attached to the gooseneck (which is the point where the boom is attached to the mast)

3. Clew, is the corner of the sail that is attached to the stern end of the boom

Now you need to prepare the boat for raising the sails.

To do this you will need to have the rest of the crew climb aboard the boat.

When ever a rope is not being used, ensure it is coiled up, tightened or put in a net or under a piece of bungy cord on the mast so that someone does not trip over, or get injured in anyway.

Take the spinnaker halyard and toping lift off the bow of the boat and attach them to the ring on the bow end of the mast. Then pull on the associating ropes to tighten them and tuck the ends of the ropes into the pieces of bungy cord on the mast to ensure they don’t get in anyone’s way.

Next bring the foresail in the sail bag up to the foredeck.

Take the foresail out of the bag and place the empty bag into the hatch, keeping the foresail rolled up on deck.

Attach the tack of the foresail to the bow furler mechanism (chainplate).

Remove the foresail sheets form the bow of the boat and attach them to the clew of the foresail sail, make sure the foresail sheets aren’t twisted when attaching. If you need more slack on the ropes you may need to un-cleat them and un-wind them form around the winches.

Now un-roll the foresail and flake (fold the foresail in a zig-zag layering system out onto the foredeck to check for folds, twists or damage to the sail).

If the sail is fine then attach the clips on the luff edge of the sail to the forestay starting from the bottom and working your way up. This way you ensure you are in control of the sail and will not give it the chance to be caught in the wind and get out control or fly away.

Once this is complete, detach the foresail halyard form the rope attached to the furling mechanism and attach it to the head of the foresail.

Now go to the forward hatch and get the dillybag out. From inside it, get the two winch handles and put them in their holders located near the winches on the side of the boat.

Now release the foresail halyard block located on the mast and take the foresail halyard around the nearest winch.

Wrap the foresail halyard in a clockwise direction to form two wraps around the block, as this is the only way the winch operates. Two wraps of the foresail halyard around the winch is the minimum in light winds, however more may be required in stronger winds to achieve more purchase, assisting in raising the foresail.

Now get one of the winch handles and put it into the winch and prepare to turn the winch handle to raise the foresail.

There are two ways to turn the winch, turning with the winch handle clockwise will turn the winch clockwise and pull the sail up. If you turn with the winch handle counter clockwise it will still turn the winch clockwise, but it will go up in double the time. The counter clockwise method is to be used when the pressure on the winch and on the person turning the winch handle is too much. Counter clockwise uses a reverse turning method to continue to pull up the sail and tighten it with half the effort required. However don’t use this to begin with, as it will take fore ever to raise the sail.

Start turning the winch in a clockwise direction. While you are doing this, have someone up with the fore sail ensuring the clips stay done up and it goes up smoothly, and to check the tensioning of the foresail. Have someone else near you holding the other end of the rope. Their job is to tail the rope to make sure that there is enough tension on the rope, ensuring that the winch is able to pull the sails up.

Just before the head of the foresail reaches the top of the forestay, have the person on the fore deck close the foresail halyard block located outward on the base of the mast, so that when you finish tightening the fore sail and release the rope, the sail doesn’t fall down.