Mainsail repair

There is a small rip along the luffrope of the main. This rip is right at the point where the luff track meets the main when the main is ALMOST fully raised. Needless to say that raising the main has turned into a huge production.

I tried using some semi-transparent sail repair tape. It looked like it was going to work but when feed into the luff track repeatedly, it would simply bunch up and make feeding the sail into the track that much more difficult.

Does someone know of a sail repair shop close to Des Moines, IA, 50131, area code 515?

Does someone have a temp solution that will keep me on the water? Could I sew this myself until the end of the season?

Thanks.