Halyard Jig

[John Stone]

Hello All,
I was reading the other night in the May/June 2009 issue of Wooden Boat about Frank Blair's 62' "fusion" schooner, Maggie B. Apparently he installed "halyard jigs" to gain purchase on halyards which eliminated the need for dedicated winches. I am in the process of rebuilding my mast and I am curious if this would be practical on my 36' cutter. I am always interested in making things simpler. I have looked for information on halyard jigs in my small library of sailing books and run a check on the internet but have come up with a blank. I believe it to be some kind of block and tackle system that attaches to the deck(?) and to the halyard in some fashion. Is anyone familiar with this system and how it would work in practical terms? Does anyone have any pictures of how it would be assembled. .


Many thanks.
John