The main halyard is released, and behind the harbour mole the main drive sinks into the lazy bag, a combination of sail cover and side guide lines permanently installed on the boom. Close the zip in the box and you're ready to cover up.
While the recovery of the cloth was still completely trouble-free, some disadvantages of the system became apparent when setting. The upper batten of the sail gets jammed behind one of the lazy bag's guide lines. While trying to clear it, the crew member is caught by a shower of water from the sail. The night's rain has collected through the open front of the cloth bag, from where it now finds its way onto the other sailor. The neighbour from the tarpaulin group waves over in a friendly manner. Still well prepared in the harbour, the conventional configuration with boom tarpaulin and without any guide line offers the sail no points where it could get caught on the way up. The sail cover keeps the cloth underneath perfectly dry and protected, but why are more and more yachts still fitted with lazy jackets or bags?
Because they significantly increase ease of use, at least as long as they are used and designed correctly.
You can read about the best way to lay out the lines and what you should bear in mind when using them in the current issue - on newsstands from 29 September.
Hauke Schmidt
Test & Technology editor
