I use a standard shackle when rigging to connect the forestay to the bridles. When sailing with inexperienced crew (as I often do), they always have a hard time getting it connected while I'm on the tramp holding up the mast. I'm wondering, are there are any "quick clip" sort of arrangements to make setting up a little quicker without sacrificing strength? (If so, there are a few other places where a speedy connection would be nice, too!) Or are shackles really the only way to go? I don't want to put some sort of clip from Home Depot on and find my mast tumbling down sometime--but man, quicker rigging would be nice.

Thanks,
Kevin
Prindle 18

1)Make them hold up the mast.
2)Use a shroud adjuster and split-ring pin (they can just slide the pin in and you can put the ring in)
3)Step the mast going downhill, so gravity and side-stays will hold it up while you walk to the bow and hook up the fore-stay
4)Run the jib halyard to the bridle and back to the base of the mast (might need to tie on an extension). Hoist the mast up, then pull the halyard tight and cleat it off. Walk to the bridle and hook up the forestay. (No need for crew's help)
5)Find smarter, or at least more dexterious, people to crew for you (I'm making a joke, not being an butt)

Give the newbie a detent pin or ball lock pin, simple, fast and secure. Murrays catalog page 39, or try the store on this site.

http://www.murrays.com/archive/39.pdf

I have the shackle connecting the bridle wires, and a high-load carabiner on the end of my forestay to connect it all together.

I find that attaching the shackle can be tricky if you have no slack in the stays. I'd recommend you take some tension off one of the stays (refit to loosest setting), then raise the mast and attach the forestay. Then add tension to the sidestay (with one of you using a trapeze line taken towards the back of the boat and hanging from it).

My Dart 18 and Spitfire both use a line to tie the forestay to the bridle shackle. This avoids the tensioning problem, as your crew can loop a few lengths of line through the shackle to hold the mast up, then you can adjust tension as required.