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[tobyker]

I've just come back from watching the start of the Cumbrae race of the 2008 Fife regatta. Glad to see that all the schooners with fore gaff topsails and staysails set had a man at the hounds, but what exactly happens when the yacht goes about and the topsail has to pass over (or round or through) the staysail? It looks as if the topsail is hauled up to pass over the stay of the staysail, but are there double (P & S) topsail downhauls, or what? Presumably one of the jobs of the man in the sky is to make sure nothing gets snagged as she goes about, but does he actually have to hook/unhook anything?

Puzzled, Saltcoats.

[Jimmy James]

On a lot of schooners the fore topsail has to be reset when you tack, this is why you see a lot of american racing boats sail bald headed ( no fore topsail ) as it saves time going about, the way arroun this is to have two sets of sheets and haulyards which the topman clears and or changes over on each tack
(Freeboorer) Jimmy James

[tobyker]

A lot to be said for the iron topsail, then. My friend John went to see the Fife boats at the end of the week - the size of the Genoa jibs they set in light airs has to be seen to be believed!

[Landlocked]

Some racing schooners (Westward) had two foretopsails with dual halyards.  They would drop the new windward sail and raise the new leeward sail when tacking.

Foretopsails had dual sheets and tack/downhauls.  They also often had brailing/clew lines to gather the entire sail in a bundle above the foremast cap.  The wind would blow the bulk of the sail to leeward and then the new leeward sheet and tack/downhaul lines would be hauled tight.  page 44 of "A Century Under Sail" from the Rosenfield collection (the American version of Beken of Cowes) has a good picture.  Chapelle's "The American Fishing Schooners" p475 has an illustration. 

The mainman aloft keeps everything sorted out.

[tobyker]

TVM