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Pit Playbook — Lupo Di Mare

Pit (Mast / Halyards / Reefing) role. Watch system, squall protocol, and safety basics are in Crew Orientation.

TL;DR

  • Pit owns every halyard and mast-area mechanical systems (cunningham, reefing line, Code 67 furl drum, J4 furl line).
  • Peel-side rule: secondary halyard on the opposite side from active. Verbal port/starboard confirmation with Bow before every hoist.
  • Clutch verification = physical check of clutch handle position after every hoist — before calling "halyard tight."
  • Stowage-side rule: halyard tails coil on the mast side matching their exit side. Across-mast coiling fouls the next peel.
  • J4 furl line lives on the rail aft of the shrouds — clip in and step out of cockpit; not a cockpit-only operation.
  • Reef #1 hardware is the rams horn at the gooseneck (race-week confirmed). Tension the reefing line BEFORE re-tensioning the halyard — otherwise the cringle pops off.

Pit Callouts — Atomic, Binary Triggers

Callout Meaning When Bow / Trim react
"Halyard ready, port" (or starboard) Secondary halyard pre-rigged on named side Bow confirms opposite side from active
"Halyard tight" New sail at masthead; clutch engaged; physically verified Trim cleared to load sheet
"Halyard at the mark" Main halyard at reef #1 mark Bow hooks cringle on rams horn
"Reef in" Reef sequence complete Driver/Trim return to working trim
"Reef out" Reef sequence reversed; main at full hoist Trim returns to full-sail trim
"Clutch jammed" Halyard not running freely Maneuver stops immediately

Watch-On Duties

  • Inspect every halyard at handoff: clutches engaged correctly, color tape visible, masthead locks confirmed (J4 has dedicated halyard with lock; mastheads with lock preferred for Code 67).
  • Verify active sail halyard and next-likely backup are on opposite sides of the mast.
  • Walk halyard tails: each tail coiled on mast side matching its exit side (stowage-side rule).
  • Confirm reef #1 line is rigged, rams horn is accessible, reef #1 mark is visible on halyard.
  • Confirm Code 67 furl line is clear and drum spins free.
  • Monitor mast base for unusual water ingress.
  • Be at mast for any halyard call.

Watch-Off Duties

  • Pre-set the next-likely halyard configuration before going below if a sail change is forecast within 2 hours.
  • Brief incoming pit on any halyard acting up (chafe, sticky clutch, slow lock).
  • Stow tools in their dedicated spot.
  • Off-watch pit is the first call for any halyard wrap, sail-up emergency, or mast jam.
  • Sleep with foul-weather gear within arm's reach — most pit calls come in transition weather.

Reef #1 In — Rams-Horn Sequence

Rams horn at the gooseneck (race-week confirmed). Reefing line takes strain BEFORE main halyard re-tensions — cringle pops off the horn if you get this backwards.

  1. Driver bears off; Trim eases mainsheet and vang.
  2. Pit lowers main halyard to reef #1 mark; calls "halyard at the mark."
  3. Bow hooks reef #1 tack cringle onto rams horn; calls "made."
  4. Pit tensions reefing line through leech cringle to winch — leech tension ON first; calls "reefing line loaded" only when the leech cringle is under full working strain (pull-test the line — it should feel like a loaded headsail sheet, not light).
  5. On "reefing line loaded," Pit re-tensions the main halyard; calls "halyard tight."
  6. Trim re-tensions cunningham and re-trims for reefed plan.
  7. Pit calls "reef in."

Reef #1 out: 1. Trim eases the reefing line. 2. Pit drops the main halyard a few inches to slack the tack cringle; calls "halyard down." 3. Bow frees the cringle from the rams horn; calls "cringle free" after confirming the horn is clear. 4. On Bow's "clear," Pit re-hoists the main to full hoist. 5. Trim re-tensions cunningham and re-trims for full sail.

Sail Change Choreography

Pit's universal rules: peel-side rule; physical clutch verification after every hoist before "halyard tight"; stowage-side rule on every coil.

Per-maneuver pit detail

J-sail peel — J1↔J2↔J3 only (J4 is its own furler):

  1. Confirm target J-sail with Watch Captain.
  2. Pre-rig secondary halyard on opposite side from active; coil tail on matching side.
  3. Confirm with Bow: "halyard ready, [port/starboard]."
  4. On Bow's "hoist" call, take up halyard hand-over-hand or via winch.
  5. Engage clutch; confirm "halyard tight" — physical check of clutch handle.
  6. After Trim has sheet load, lower old halyard at controlled rate as Bow drops old sail.
  7. Recoil free halyard tail on exit side; restow.

J4 deploy/recover — PIT OWNS THIS:

  • J4 has dedicated furler, own halyard (J4 w/lock), 3-to-1 mechanical tack line. NOT on forestay track. NOT peeled.
  • J4 furl line terminates on the rail just aft of the shrouds — not aft to cockpit. Pit clips in and steps to that rail position.
  • Deploy: confirm sheet load ready, furl line clear, Bow has eyes on furler drum. From the rail, release J4 furl line under control as sail unfurls; cockpit sheets in.
  • Recover: ease sheet; take strain on J4 furl line at rail; furl back up. No full bow trip for a clean furl.
  • J3 ↔ J4 transition is two operations: J3 drop/hoist on forestay track + J4 furl or unfurl. Pre-plan halyard side assignments with Bow.

Asymmetric set (A1-1 through A4 — sprit/Tylaska):

  1. Identify correct masthead halyard; pre-rig opposite side from any active sail halyard.
  2. Confirm with Bow that tack is rigged and sheets attached.
  3. On "ready to hoist," hoist at full pace once Bow is clear of the foot.
  4. Engage masthead lock if fitted; tail down.
  5. Confirm "halyard tight."

Asymmetric peel (A→A):

  1. Pre-rig second masthead halyard on opposite side from active kite.
  2. Bow brings new kite forward and attaches.
  3. Hoist new kite on call; once loaded by Trim, lower old halyard.
  4. Bow contains old kite; Pit recoils both halyards on correct sides.

Spinnaker douse:

  1. Hand on halyard at clutch; release on Bow's "drop" call.
  2. Ease halyard at rate matched to Bow's gather pace — too fast → kite in water; too slow → flogs.
  3. Once foot is at shrouds or companionway, release fast for final drop.
  4. Recoil halyard on correct side.

Code 67 deploy/recover — PIT OWNS THIS:

  • Deploy: confirm sprit out, tack line led, furl line clear. Call to cockpit for sheet load. Release furl line under control as sail unfurls; sheet in as it fills.
  • Recover: ease sheet; take strain on furl line; furl from cockpit/pit position. No bow trip required.
  • If hangs up: stop operation; call Bow forward to clear.

GS (orange gennaker) set:

  • GS uses Staysail halyard and mid-deck padeye (not sprit). Pre-rig Staysail halyard; confirm tack pin at padeye. Hoist on Bow's "ready" call.

SS (spinnaker staysail):

  • SS is the spinnaker staysail (not a symmetric kite — boat carries asyms only). Uses the Sec J1 halyard and mid-deck padeye. No pole — it sets low and inside, beneath the running asym (A2/A4).

Comms Protocol

Pit calls in: "Halyard ready [port/starboard]" / "Halyard tight" / "Halyard at the mark" / "Reef in" / "Reef out" / "Clutch jammed" — per callouts table above.

Pit calls out: - To Bow: peel-side confirmation, ready-to-hoist confirmation, lowering rate during douse. - To Trim: halyard status during set and douse. - To Watch Captain: any halyard or mast-area issue affecting next maneuver.

Escalation: - Halyard wrap at masthead, lock failure, mast-base water ingress, rig concern → Watch Captain and Navigator.

Failure Modes

# Mode Symptom Recovery Prevention
1 Secondary halyard same side as active Halyards cross at masthead; peel jams Stop; lower; re-rig opposite side; restart Verbal port/starboard confirmation with Bow before every hoist
2 Clutch not engaged after hoist Sail starts to come down under load Immediate wraps on winch; engage clutch; re-tension Physical check of clutch handle after every hoist before "halyard tight"
3 Reef tack cringle pops off rams horn Sail suddenly under-tacked Stop; ease halyard; re-hook cringle; restart from step 4 Reefing line takes strain BEFORE halyard re-tensions — non-negotiable
4 Code 67 furl-line wrap during furl Drum stops mid-furl; sail half-flogged Take strain on sheet to reduce load; clear wrap (may need Bow); restart Pre-furl: furl line clear of all A-sail tack hardware

Race-Week Deliverables

Item Owner Target
Pit response-time target (call → at-mast) Skipper T-7 brief
Reef #1 halyard mark Skipper + Pit T-3 — confirm mark exists; mark in race-week if missing
SS setup Confirmed ✅ poleless — mid-deck padeye, Sec J1 halyard
Cross-references

Onboard cards: - Card 01 — Start to Block Island - Card 04 — Gulf Stream Entry — daylight inspection: reef line, kite sheets, kite halyard, tack line, foreguy - Card 09 — Squall & Frontal Response — Pit owns halyard release rate on squall douse - Card 10 — Tactical Scenarios — reef in/out under load (Heavy Air section)

Reference: - sail_inventory.md — halyard names, color codes, lock status. Authoritative. - crossover_notes.md — sail-to-sail transition references.