Couldn't quite think this through while typing me repsonse yesterday...but now after mulling it a while, I can see no way to make the block above the bail setup work. If you pass both sides of the halyard under the bail to get to the block, then the sail head cannot be hauled all the way to the block...it will jam up at the bail. If you leave the tail end of the halyard out side the bail, the sail will haul all the way to the block...but then it's just like not having the bail there at all, as the block can swing side to side from the strop with the only limit to how far it swings being the length of the strop line.

This does raise the question: is there an ideal amout of swing for the halyard block?

Mike.