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Shorts Lumikha
On most boats it is important to have the head of the mainsail as close to the top of the mast as possible. Furthermore it must also be quick to attach and disconnect the main halyard, even with cold and wet fingers. So a shackle or a bowline are not the best solutions. The best is the method is the one shown in this video. The bobble is nice, but not strictly necessary. A double figure of 8 knot (figure of 16?) will do. The bobble or knot is never removed so you cannot lose the halyard through the mast. I usually shorten the main halyard a few cm/in at the start of each season to move the wear spots.
Rule 18 is quite complex with many factors which need to be taken into account to decide if a boat should get room at the mark or not. The first step is to understand the positions of the boat when the first boat hits the zone which is a circle 3 times the length of the first boat to reach the mark. In this video it was 108 feet as the J109 leading into the mark is 36 feet long. The A35 which was approaching from behind was going a lot faster and established an overlap shortly after they entered the zone, they tried to barge in but the skipper on the J109 new the rules and held firm forcing the the A35 to do a tack and a gybe to round the mark and avoid a collision. The knowing the rules and clearly signalling the opposition boat when you reach the zone is the only way to make it clear to your competitors that they have no room and they should keep clear.