furler line was disconnected from the drum. That seems like a pretty good way to do it if the boat isn't set up to use the stay for mast support. The way my boat is set up I would have to consult a rigger or the Shannon yard. The rig is bullet proof but I would need a rigger to bless something like removing a stay. I ended up setting the staysail up so that I could use a roller furler and still have slab reefing as well. The system works well but I still have to deal with rolling the headsail in almost 2/3 of the way prior to tacking the boat. I don't do a lot of short tacking so it's not that big of a deal. I just need to be where I'm going in five or six tacks. If I have enough wind I can tack up a channel with the staysail but if I need the headsail I'm in for a workout. I have to say that the ability to slab reef the staysail is huge. I have to go forward to do it but it beats the hell out of dragging a storm jib up, removing the staysail, hanking on the storm jib, running the sheets, hoisting it up and then dealing with a wet staysail. That's a lot of work on a boat my size and not a very fun ride anymore. My staysail is most likely already rolled out so I just have to lower the halyard a few feet, reposition the tack snap shackle and reposition the sheets, haul it back up and then tie up the foot. I use a handy billey on the clew to control the sail which make the sheet change easy. It's not as heavy as a "real storm jib" but it's a pretty solid sail.