In this training video we will show you how
to rig your boat. We will show you the key areas involved in
rigging the sails and how to get your boat ready to launch. You will also see some differences in rigging
styles that apply from boat to boat. The second half of the video will show you
the steps necessary to reef the sails and allow you to sail in stronger winds. In this video we mention a lot of technical
terms. If you are unfamiliar with these you may like
to watch the Know Your Boat training video first for an explanation. Some boats have the mast inserted into a pocket
on the mainsail. Some sails are hoisted up the mast using a
halyard. Some sails are loose fitted to the boom. And some are close fixed to the boom. But fundamentally the rigging process is the
same. Let’s now look at a two hander, starting
with the jib. The head of the jib connects to the jib halyard
with a shackle and split ring. The tack of the jib connects to a fitting
on the deck, again with a shackle. The jib halyard is pulled to hoist the sail. The jib halyard tail is connected to the tension
system, and pulled tight. This tensions the wire rigging. Check the shrouds are tight by giving them
a pluck like this. To stop the sail from flapping pull on the
furling line to roll up the sail. Let’s now look at the mainsail. Untie the halyard and check above to check
that it is not tangled in the rigging. Connect the halyard to the head of the sail,
here we are looping the halyard back over its plastic stopper to lock it in place. If you’re hoisting the sail on land, make
sure the bow of the boat is pointing towards the wind. Place the top of the sail in the mast track
and pull on the halyard. It works well if one person pulls and one
person feeds the sail into the track. Continue pulling until the mainsail is fully
hoisted. Some people fit buoyancy bags to the halyard,
which help prevent the boat from inverting in the event of a capsize. To keep the sail at the top of the mast lock
the halyard, tidy up the rest of the halyard and store it safely. Some sails have an extra restraining strap
near the tack of the sail. Loop it around the mast and secure it. Next fix the tack of the sail. This is controlled with the downhaul. Loop the downhaul through the eyelet on the
sail and secure it back to the boom. And then pull it tight. Next rig the clew of the sail. Here we see the corner of the sail inserted
into a track on top of the boom and pulled out tight. The outhaul rope is then threaded through
the eyelet, and back to the end of the boom and secured. At the mast end of the boom the sail outhaul
is then pulled tight. If your boat doesn’t have a track on top
of the boom, the clew will ride up like this. To hold the clew in place tie it to the boom. Here we’re using a reef knot. The mainsheet is then simply threaded between
the blocks on the boom and on the boat, ending up with the mainsheet jam cleat, where a stopper
knot is tied in the end to stop it running free. Some single handers don’t have wire rigging
to support the mast. On these boats the sail has a permanent pocket
in which the mast is rigged. The whole unit is then lifted and inserted
into the deck of the boat. These sails don’t have a track along the
boom to hold the foot of the sail in place. The clew end of the sail is then connected
to the outhaul on the boom. It is important to tie the clew down like
this, as this helps to keep the sail more controllable. Another system will have the foot of the mainsail
sliding along a track on the top of the boom, and the clew outhaul connects to the sail
with a shackle. You may also have a wire halyard. In this situation the shackle is fitted to
the top part of the mainsail, and when the sail is hoisted the end of the halyard fits
over a rack at the bottom of the mast. In this configuration the boom connects to
the mast via a gooseneck and the tack of the sail is permanently fixed to the end of the
boom. In this situation the downhaul is called the
Cunningham, and it works in the same way. Poke the control line through the hole in
the sail and tie it back to the end of the boom with a bowline. If your kicking strap is not permanently fixed
to the boom, you will have to connect it. If you have a lifting rudder put in place
with the blade raised and make sure the safety clip is fitted, this prevents the rudder from
falling off in the event of a capsize.