Enterprise sail advice please

I tried to post something from my tablet but the battery ran out mid-post.

I think Al is correct, up until the late 80s it was pretty common to see boats reefing in anything over a F4. Typically we'd roll the mainsail around the boom with a strop on the end of the kicker which we rolled up in the sail. This was possible mainly because boats tended to be aft sheeted. (Its difficult to roll a mainsail around the boom when the mainsheet attaches to middle of the boom).

Since the 80s rig controls have massively improved mainly in the ropes available and the size of high quality blocks reducing. This has enabled sail shape to be controlled far more than in the past.

Unfortunately many non-racers assume that all the string in most racing dinghies is complicated and uneccessary however, in the majority of classes they still only really have a kicker, cunningham and outhaul it is just that they are led to suitable places in the boat and have systems to take up the slack. Many non-racers would gain massively from using the same systems as it would make for far more comfortable sailing.

Was the boat really raced singlehanded?
Controls led aft to the helm are typical, they are not a singlehanded thing! Generally the crew will play the jib but the helm can feel the balance of the boat through the rudder and through his backside and therefore adjust the sail controls to ensure the boat is balanced and driving smoothly.

In simple terms the kicker is used to keep the boom level, so that when you ease the mainsheet the boom doesn't move vertically. Generally pull it on hard upwind so that if you ease the mainsheet you dont get a huge loss of power and loads of drag, instead you get a gradual loss of power and it also takes some of the load off of the mainsheet.
The cunningham was historically lightly used and often set for the days conditions, but is a really useful control. Pulling it on hard pulls the draft of the sail fwds and by bending the mast it tends to flatten the mid & upper sail depowering these areas.
The outhaul controls the depth of the sail. In zephyr light winds it pays to have it tight so that flow can attach to the sail. When the wind starts getting heavy it should also be pulled in tight as this flattens and de-powers the foot of the sail.

Theres more detail out there but these basic principles should get you started.

Most of the Ents I have seen have their control lines rigged back to the thwart so this is probably the current way of doing things.

I still use the control lines when I'm cruising. They're pretty important for retaining control of the boat and helping you sail it more easily. In simple terms, use the cunningham upwind when you're getting overpowered (the more overpowered you are, the more you pull on). For the kicker a simple rule of thumb is to keep the top batten tell tale on the main streaming for about half of the time. Upwind, the windier it is, the more you'll pull on. This takes power out of the rig and sail in more control. Downwind you need to let it off a bit otherwise your boom will hit the water too easily (boom & water combination = swim). If you let it off too much on a dead run you might find the boat death roles, but if you keep checking your top tell tale every now and then you won't go too far wrong.

Whether singlehanded or not, a jib is often handy to help manoeverability! Perhaps you fudged a tack and you're really near a moored yacht - quick, back the jib and phew, you're saved.

Edited by MerlinMags - 18 Apr 13 at 9:36am