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Soft Shackle for SJ23 Jib.

Over the years I sailed there were many times when I delayed swapping out a jib because it also required running different sheets through the blocks.  This is a practice I continued from the previous owner who had a set of sheets permanently tied to each jib.  It seemed like a logical thing to do since each jib needed different length sheets.  Other sailors around me followed the same regimen.  In the beginning I attached the sheets with a SS shackle, which is convenient but is asking to have your head bashed in.  Sooner or later it will happen.  This is such a dangerous practice that many local sailors switched to tying the sheet to the clew, myself included.  40 years later the Dyneema soft shackle showed up and that changed everything. 

During my conversion to roller furling (Tech Tip F10) I often walked the dock for ideas, "learning" how others did it.  You can learn lots by observing.  Then I discovered a Dyneema soft shackle on my buddy's boat and wondered what kept it attached.  Did it ever let go?  A soft shackle was not part of a solution I was looking for, so it slipped from my thoughts; that is, till I had to install new sheets for my blade jib (Tech Tip F21).  Is this soft shackle a better way?  Flash back to the Dyneema soft shackle.  That's when I thought, "Why not use a soft shackle on a sheet that is long enough for any of my jibs?  The soft shackle could quickly attach and detach to any of my jibs.  No more swapping sheets."

So I tied the middle of my longest jib sheet to a soft shackle using a cow hitch or lark's head knot.  Also called a luggage tag knot in other parts of the country.  Who names these knots?  Any of these knots can grip the Dyneema equally well for the sheets to the cockpit.  I've used a cow knot for years and it has never slipped.  The other advantage is that it seldom snags on the mast during a tack.  The loop portion of this soft shackle is left a little longer to go through the clew ring to be slipped over the diamond knot.  The wonder of a soft shackle is that it is incredibly strong, NEVER lets go, and has so far not snagged on the mast while tacking in light wind if the diamond knot is positioned in the (UPDATE PHOTO) clew ring.  Great, no more mad dashes to the mast.  If you should get hit in the head with a soft shackle it will do far less damage than a SS shackle.  Still going to hurt though. 

You can tie your own soft shackle by following this guide.  A 6" diameter shackle of 3/8" or 1/2" Dyneema fits well to a SJ23 clew.  I like to use a high visibility colour like orange or lime.  However, a fellow sailor gave me a grey soft shackle and I'm not about to insult him by replacing it with an orange one.  Alternatively a soft shackle can be bought from numerous chandlers. 
 

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