A sailboat halyard lock includes a latch that interacts with a stop to maintain tension on a halyard, and a spring-loaded trigger that contacts the latch. The stop can be a ball that moves along a path through the halyard lock, or alternatively, a wall of a sail track. The latch rotates to engage the stop in the locked position, and is released to return to a neutral position. A spring-loaded trigger contacts the latch so as to position the latch to receive the ball or wall in the locked position. In this way, the halyard can be maintained under tension in the halyard lock, and the tension is adjustable over time.