Flogging Foresail

NauticEd posted a blog entry about furling in heavy weather that reminded me of our entrance to Beaver Island in July, 2010. Actually, we had a foresail issue twice during our July cruise on Lake Michigan--once on entry to Pentwater and again at Beaver Island. In both cases, we had 20-plus winds aft of our beam. Our issue is not running out of furling line, but fouling the furling line. The line wraps upon itself when sailing downwind. The drum rotates back-and-forth until a loose portion of the line gets beneath a part of the line nearer to the bitter end. Then, pulling on the end just tightens this knot. Once it is knotted, the sail will not come in or go out.

That's when the solution to wrap the sheets around the foresail is very helpful. Thanks for the tip. Now, I need a tip for keep the line from getting knotted.