Thanx for the responses. WOW I think that so far I've only added 2 inches from my de-wrinkle stage. Guess, I've got a bit more to go!
So, I can pull it on to my hearts content without tearing/breaking things. I only have to make sure that the downhaul is eased before slacking the mainsheet.
I realized earlier this year that the 12:1 internal was actually only 6:1 with the second stage of 2:1 happening at the foot of the sail. I had been passing the line through the cringle and realized that I needed to tie a block on below the sail to maximize my efforts.
the internal part is 6:1 but when you put the line that comes out of the mast through a block on the sail then to a cleat/eye on the other side this doubles the purchase (a cascading system). I just need to play with mine some more.
Good thing to know about letting downhaul off before mainsheet... yet another thing to remember... and forget.
