Any good secret screacher tips?

[onremlop]

We hoisted our screacher this weekend to test it out, but we are still having issues furling it back into the drum. Last year we were slightly more successful, but can't seem to get decent wraps on the sail when furling it in. We watched Will's vid on youtube and took copious notes, but still we ended up having to furl the sail by hand. I know this was a topic a few years ago, but don't recall some of the remedies. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

[Ron]

The trick is to pre-load the wire going thru the screechers luff. The wire will twist before the drum gets the top swivel to turn. I think I used about 4 to 6 turns of the wire (in the furling direction) before I tied the screecher's tack to the drum. You've got to do this with any furling sail that does not wrap around a solid extrusion or similar rod. I've never had a problem at all. Rolls up perfectly, but note that you may have to blanket the head sail (with the main) if the wind picks up.

[onremlop]

Thanks, we'll give that a try this weekend.

[Mark]

Tension on the halyard is also very important - tighter to bring it in (use the winch carefully), relaxed to let it out. Even so, it can be a pain and if the wind picks up getting it in can be a real problem, any wind in the sail stops it dead.

Mark

[Ron]

Mark -

Never had a problem rolling it in or out. If the halyard tension is OK, you shouldn't have to play with it either. Maybe you need to pre-load the wire a drop more - 4 to 6 turns should be correct, before you attach the tack to the drum. If the wind picks up you will almost definitely have to get the screecher in the main's shadow to roll it in. Sail's too big to play games when it's exposed to a good breeze, say 10 knots or more. I'll usually blanket it or the genoa in anything over 8 knots. Why fight it? And heading into the wind will stop both from rolling up smoothly. Best to have some small but constant pressure on it.