Yarrr
Hello,
So nice to have a truly salty thread here. As you will no doubt discover, through Mr. Leather and others (you might also want to get a copy of "Hand, Reef, and Steer", by Tom Cunliffe), gaff tops'ls have a lot of fine points to them. You'll see, for instance, that there are a variety of ways to set the tack: to weather of the peak halyard; to leeward of the peak halyard; or either way, but also threaded to leeward or to weather of the gaff; and tacked or not.
You might also end up with a sheave built into the end of the gaff for the sheet, or install deck gear for a perfect tack lead, or install a jackstay for the luff, etc. The idea is to make this wonderful sail more efficient, as well as easier to use. Wheel-reinvention is the single most significant it's-harder-than-it-needs-to-be factor, so research as much as you can.
As for that throat pendant, it gets the line fairer from the gaff end, without chafing in the head lashing, and keeps the lead away from the luff lacing or hoops, among other things.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss
|