Hi Mary,

Thanks for the explanations--very helpful.

I want to make sure of we are both using the same nomenclature. I recently ordered Johnson "shroud adjusters" from Annapolis Performance Sailing. It sounds like these are similar to, but not the same as the "loops" you describe. I can't seem to locate any of these from the usual sailing retailers.

However, Mary you said: "The reason I have heard for them not being class legal for some classes is the fear that the extra slack in the shroud might cause the mast to jump off its base during the righting process (although I have not personally heard of this happening)."

In my mind I can envision the value of lossening the upper shroud to allow the boat to start the righting motion. I imagine it would have to be loosened quit a bit to make much difference. But your point about becoming de-masted scares the daylights out of me. As Scooby said, capsizing, at least for me if I'm not practicing a righting technique, usually occurs due to higher wind/wave conditions. It seems to me most sailors and I imagine yourself, right their boats with crew weight alone, using techniques like detensioning the downhaul and positioning the mast for lift, and may use a pole, water bag, or drag chute for assistance. I bet if all of us in this thread were sailing F17s together, and one of you guys dumped, I could see you getting back up faster or easier than me. So I gotta think my inexperience is a big part of the problem. I've tried so many things and I still can't do it. It's tough when I don't know, what I don't know. But I'm going to get it sorted out sooner or later, and someday I'll be able to say with certainty, an F17 can or cannot be righted with 165-170 lbs.

A little off your points, Scoobie mentioned getting out on the hulls near the bridle attacment and using a good righting line. I replaced my stock righting line with 24' of good line that's easy to hold onto and to tie loops in. I've used the line to litterally balance myself out on the the extreme hull tip and hike my weight out even farther. It has absolutely no effect on repositioning the boat. Nor does it make any difference if I do the same thing off the hull's tramsom, or any position in between.

Mary, is a drag chute basically the same shape and dimensions as a righting bag, such as the one on page 36, item #01-3282 in Murray's catalog? If it is, them maybe in more difficult circumstances it could do double duty, assuming I could get it off the end of the hull and hook it over my shoulder with it loaded with water. I do usually sail on a lakes by myself, so your advice to carry some emergency gear sounds prudent.

Thanks Mary,
Daniel