Hey David,

Foreguy and afterguy snugged tight will eliminate much of the risk, single most important thing, in my opinion... both Forespar and North sails have good info on their sites, they would be a good start.

I really like using a 2:1 halyard, slower but probably safer for your family crew - plus it can have great utility as a hoist for the dink, MOB, etc...

I don't care for shackles on the sheets, but that just might be me... I'd definitely avoid using the lightweight plastic Nab shackles from Lewmar, a virtual guarantee that the breeze will come up quickly, and increase the loads beyond their breaking strength (grin)... For sheets, a lightweight, non-absorbent line like NER Flightline is a must, IMO...

Finally, fly it whenever the thought occurs to you... Free-flying sails offer some of the most fun you can have sailing, keeping a chute filled and trimmed is a great way to get the kids involved in working the boat, learning about the effects of apparent wind, etc... It's really a pity more cruisers don't seem to appreciate that...

Finally, keep the sailing angles deep when you're just starting out - closer reaching angles can quickly develop situations that might scare your crew, and prevent your hoisting the chute again until the following season (grin)

Hope this helps, others will weigh in with great advice, I'm sure...

Enjoy, and be sure to take plenty of pics...

best regards,

Jon