The New Halyards Have Cometh

This past season I prayed every time I went out that my main or jib halyard would not snap! From the looks of things, I have to imagine my current halyards are the originals. Lets keep in mind, the boat is almost 24 years old, so I think it's safe to say they are due for replacement!

Two weekends ago, West Marine had a sale on all running rigging. West Marine frequently has sales on their rigging, so I was just waiting for the sale. At 30% off, you almost have to jump on it! I ended up buying New England Ropes VPC line. My halyards are 5/16" (8mm) and have a break strength of 4,000lbs. I bought two 80' lines. The biggest improvement, aside from the sheer strength of the line, is the lines are different color! My old halyards were the same color - old. My new main halyard is a solid navy with white and orange fleck while the jib halyard is solid green with white and orange fleck.

Another much needed upgrade to Jep for 2010 is a topping lift for the boom. Previously, the boom attached to the back stay using a spring clip. It was an enormous pain in the ass to unhook the boom when we wanted to sail. With rigging on sale, I bought another 80' of New England Ropes Sta-Set in solid black with white and reg fleck. The line is very thin at only 3/16" but has a break strength of 1,300lbs.