# Hello from New Jersey



## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

Hello! I'm on the northern side of 40 and own a small business repairing leather, vinyl and fabric. 

I just bought a new to me 1983 Starwind 19 from the son of the original owner who passed a year ago. I'm new to sailing, I've read a bunch of books, looked online at lots of websites and gone on some tourist help sail cruises. This means I'm basically clewless as far as sailing is concerned. I've owned a few power boats ranging from jet skis (sea knats), to outboard powered bow riders to pontoon boats to a tritoon including the most recently purchased new two years ago Harris tritoon which I keep on the water at a lake in New Jersey.

I'm excited to get into sailing with my 19 foot trailer sailer. I'm hoping to get her wet before this season is through in New Jersey / New York. I've been going over the boat and ordered new shrouds and a new forestay which should be arriving this week. I picked up a 6hp Yamaha outboard and I'm getting the trailer in shape to hit the road. 

I'm looking forward to chatting and learning from the forum on this new adventure for me!

I have as ton of questions but may need to put them somewhere else.

I'm wondering how I set up the main sheet.

The boat has two tracks on each side of the companionway entrance with blocks. I'm thinking they are for the jib sheets. There are also swivel blocks with cam cleats just aft of the tracks. 

The boat doesn't have any winches. I'm figuring my fiddler block attaches to the boom tang and the lower two blocks need to attach to a tang on the aft railing/pulpit. I have a bunch of pad eyes but they are on the outside edges of the boat. Some run under the windows and continue all the way to the stern. I don't have a traveler so I'm unsure how to run the mainsheet. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

Mike


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Welcome Mike

Is your mast up? You may need to do a dry run of your rigging set up. Does your boat look like this one?


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## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

Yes it looks exactly like that. The back of the main sheet just attaches to the aft pulpit / railing? There are 2 tangs on that rail. I attached the backstay to one of them. No other cleats to run it though. I don't have any life-lines or stantions either. Same jack plate with block of wood on it. I can't see a back stay in the picture and barely can make out possibly the shrouds. It almost looks like a fake picture though, sails looked perfectly trimmed without any way to do it, and he's just working a tiller while his wife and child stare at something in the distance behind them.


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## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

I don't have a boom vang set-up on my boom. I have 1 horn cleat and a block which I believe is for the outhaul.

From the picture I don't really see any lines to control the mainsheet or even the lines running back from the jib. I see the connection point but how do you pull the main sheet in or let it out from this set-up?

Thanks,

Mike


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

MikePNJ said:


> I don't have a boom vang set-up on my boom. I have 1 horn cleat and a block which I believe is for the outhaul.
> 
> From the picture I don't really see any lines to control the mainsheet or even the lines running back from the jib. I see the connection point but how do you pull the main sheet in or let it out from this set-up?
> 
> ...





MikePNJ said:


> I don't have a boom vang set-up on my boom. I have 1 horn cleat and a block which I believe is for the outhaul.
> 
> From the picture I don't really see any lines to control the mainsheet or even the lines running back from the jib. I see the connection point but how do you pull the main sheet in or let it out from this set-up?
> 
> ...


If you look at the attachment of the sheet in the pic you will see the main sheet attached to the traveler. That little rail is not really a rail, its to allow the angle of the main sheet to be adjusted. The main sheet block should attach to that little traveler with a shackle or a special bracket that has wheels to roll back and foorth on the " rail" .

I have a Cat 22 so for reference here is what I am thinking of.. your boat should be similar.


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## PhilCarlson (Dec 14, 2013)

MikePNJ said:


> ...I'm basically clewless...


I see what you did there! Nice! :laugher

Welcome aboard!


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## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

Thanks Sal. That makes more sense to me. Now to hunt down that traveler car. It helps me that it was used an a Cat 22. I just hope the rail diameter is the same. I found one on Catalina direct for $52.

Would I connect the fiddle block to the boom or the end closer to the rail? Or would I connect that shackle on the end of the double block to the rail without the traveler car? Here are more mainsheet pictures.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Well I would think you would want to adjust the sheet from the back, as in a cat 22. 

When I first got my boat, the block was attached to the traveler rail with a simple stainless steel shackle and it worked fine.


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## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

That explains why the PO has two plumbing valves attached to that rail. Must be to stop the shackle from falling over the ends!


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Not much time to get this baby into the water, Mike


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## MikePNJ (Sep 21, 2018)

Sal, the weather has been strange here as you know. Looks like after Thursday were looking at highs in the low to mid 50's. I'm waiting on my new shrouds and forestay. They are in route from Annapolis, hopefully they get here by the weekend. Looks like my maiden voyage will be a little colder, next week.


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