Tying off a deadeye lanyard?

[Ian McColgin]

I'm hesitant to recommend something I actually do because it goes against some grain - I was always taught when doing fine-tuning with a modern rig under sail never to tighten the leeward (slackish) turnbuckles. Rather, take a half turn on the weather side and then tack.

However a couple of summers ago I retuned a schooner with deadeyes and found that trimming the lee side by hand with frequent checks that I was keeping the mast in colum and the truck centered worked out about right, leaving the rig appropriatly tight when the mast was unloaded, like sails down, and allowing the lee shrouds to be just unloaded but not flapping about Fresh Breeze (Force 5, a bit under 20 knots average).

Works without special tools or guages and makes you one with the boat.