I'm new to sailing and I've just had my sailing yacht rigged but it seems the main halyard is on the opposite side of the mast. If I were to hoist the mainsail as is, it wouldn't go further than the cross beam. What am I missing?
Hmmm, looks like an external spinnaker halyard you've got there.
Is the main halyard connected to the back of the boom to hold it up?
I am thinking that the red-striped sheet is the main halyard, but it's on the wrong side completely, which makes it useless. I could wrap it around the side but that seems ridiculous and unintuitive and the mainsail probably wouldn't hoist all the way up. It is not connected to the boom in any way.
I use my main halyard as a topping lift when the mainsails furled. This is so I can
lift the boom higher than when I use the proper topping lift which is attached to the
backstay.
I think Jethrow is suggesting that this may be the case with you. Have a good look
at the set up.
You have three ropes coming from the rear of the mast that are twisted at the top and separate as they are coming down one of them is the main halyard. The rope at the front as the other two have suggested look like a spinnaker halyard. Why don't you just ask the rigger who rerigged it?
The main halyard ALWAYS comes out of the back of the mast.
Usually 3 things come from the back. A wire backstay, a rope topping lift attached to the boom end and the main halyard, usually attached to the boom end when not in use to avoid it clanking against the mast and then moved to the top of the mainsail at the mast to hoist it.
As my more learned co-forum members have said,the one at the front is a spinnaker halyard.
Cheers
Bristol
I zoomed image and it looks like 4 lines coming from back of mast. 2 wire and two double braid.
My guess is right one (in picture) is backstay.
Then there is one other wire which I guess would be main halyard.
Then there are two double braids. One for topping lift and one I dont know.
As said, the two double braids at front are for spinnaker / jib?
So Jackson - look at the wire lines coming out back of mast. One of those should be main halyard.
For none computer types, save the image by right clicking and selecting "save image". Then open it with paint. Then zoom.
See what you think ?
My money is on Trek.
It's possible that the main halyard is external so the mystery line is the rope end of the main halyard. That's possible but unlikely as very few yachts are rigged with external halyards.
Other explanations include: Twin (possibly running) backstays or maybe one of the lines is for a flag/pennant hoist.
There's an odd line running to the centre of the starboard crosstree which is probably a pennant hoist too.
