Briggs Swift Cunningham Jr. the captain of the winning yacht in the 1958
America's Cup has passed on to the pearly gates. In 1958 he invented the
"cunningham"......
Amazing but true facts of sailing.

CM

Let's see if you are a real sailor and can answer this
question without looking up the answer.

Why was the Cunningham invented?




"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message ...
Briggs Swift Cunningham Jr. the captain of the winning yacht in the 1958
America's Cup has passed on to the pearly gates. In 1958 he invented the
"cunningham"......
Amazing but true facts of sailing.

CM

to give Arthur Fonzerelli a place to park his motorcycle.
Scout

"Simple Simon" wrote in message
...
Let's see if you are a real sailor and can answer this
question without looking up the answer.

Why was the Cunningham invented?

You are on the right track. For the answer go to uk.rec.sailing
and see my reply to the 'Reason why Columbia beat Sceptre'
thread.

Oz is clearly clueless.


"Peter S/Y Anicula" wrote in message ...
I'll have a guess at this one:
Because it allows you to have a bigger mainsail for the same
measured sailarea than if you used the halyard to the same
purpose.

Another advantage is that it is takes less power to tighten
the cunningham than it does to tighten the halyard. This
makes it usable on cruisers as well.

There are other factors but I don't think that matters much.
To mention one thing, it also stresses the leach if you use
the halyard, but that can be compensated by the tension of
the boom vang or by adjusting the traveller.

--
Peter S/Y Anicula



"Simple Simon" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Let's see if you are a real sailor and can answer this
question without looking up the answer.

Why was the Cunningham invented?




"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message
...
Briggs Swift Cunningham Jr. the captain of the winning
yacht in the 1958
America's Cup has passed on to the pearly gates. In 1958
he invented the
"cunningham"......
Amazing but true facts of sailing.

CM

Oz1 wrote:

Because it allows you to have a bigger mainsail for the
same
measured sailarea than if you used the halyard to the
same
purpose.
Does not Compute!

If you want to utilise the maximal luff-length as marked
between the black marks at the mast when the wind is light,
and the luff-tension is low you can't pull the halyard
further when the wind increases witch leaves you with a
saggy sail with the depth too far aft.
Or to say the same in other words:
If the sail is at the max luff-length, between the black
marks, when the wind is strong and the halyard is tight then
you will have to ease a bit on the halyard when the wind
decreases witch gives you a reduced sailarea.

If your boat has a boom-downhaul that could be used instead
of the halyard, but the argument would be exactly the same.

So the boat that uses the halyard or the boom downhaul to
trim the luff tension would have a reduced area in light
conditions compared to a boat that uses a cunningham.

Another advantage is that it is takes less power to
tighten
the cunningham than it does to tighten the halyard. This
makes it usable on cruisers as well.
Halyard doesn't have 8, 16,32:1 purchase.

Well sometimes they do. I have sailed on several boats where
the luff tension (of the foresail) were trimmed by a
"muscle-box" attached to the halyard I think with a 32:1
purchase. You could also easily use a purchase to the boom
downhaul. Many boats had these before the "cunningham" were
standard practise.
(In relation to power needed to increase luff-tension, using
the boom-downhaul would have almost the same effect as the
cunningham)

Besides that - the purchase is not the issue he the
power required to increase the luff-tension (maintaining the
pressure on the mainsail) when the boat is sailing is.

There are other factors but I don't think that matters
much.
To mention one thing, it also stresses the leach if you
use
the halyard, but that can be compensated by the tension
of
the boom vang or by adjusting the traveller.

Hmmm please explain (Red headed racist)

Sorry - now it is I who have to ask for an explanation.

--
Peter S/Y Anicula

To mention one thing, it also stresses the leach if you use the halyard,

???????? Don't see how that's possible.



S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
Trains are a winter sport

I looked and found this:

Cunningham, sneaky ******* that he was, used his
invention to stretch and flatten the sail and still stay
between the lines. The man was a cheater. I don't
admire him one bit. A racer and a cheater is no
real sailor.

I do understand your point, but as racer, the game is to
beat the others according to the rule, so Cunningham (I
don't know much about him) were just doing his job, whether
or not you admire thatt - I guess, is a matter of
preference. Beating the rule is the name of the game, so I
don't think you haveb much of a case.

As a sailor: Well, Cunningham was a colleague, and an
inventive one, and that deserves some respect.

--
Peter S/Y Anicula



"Simple Simon" skrev i en meddelelse
...
You are on the right track. For the answer go to
uk.rec.sailing
and see my reply to the 'Reason why Columbia beat Sceptre'
thread.

Oz is clearly clueless.


"Peter S/Y Anicula" wrote in
message
...
I'll have a guess at this one:
Because it allows you to have a bigger mainsail for the
same
measured sailarea than if you used the halyard to the
same
purpose.

Another advantage is that it is takes less power to
tighten
the cunningham than it does to tighten the halyard. This
makes it usable on cruisers as well.

There are other factors but I don't think that matters
much.
To mention one thing, it also stresses the leach if you
use
the halyard, but that can be compensated by the tension
of
the boom vang or by adjusting the traveller.

--
Peter S/Y Anicula



"Simple Simon" skrev i en
meddelelse
...
Let's see if you are a real sailor and can answer this
question without looking up the answer.

Why was the Cunningham invented?




"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message
...
Briggs Swift Cunningham Jr. the captain of the
winning
yacht in the 1958
America's Cup has passed on to the pearly gates. In
1958
he invented the
"cunningham"......
Amazing but true facts of sailing.

CM

Sorry Capt,

I can't believe that no one knows about a cunningham.

It increases the wind range of the sail without a sail change! By
pulling on the cunningham the baggyness of the main is reduced creating
a more windward sail with out a sail change.

On a cruiser, as I have done, it increases the useful life of the main
by years,

I've sailed with the cunningham set for the last three years. That is
why I've ordered a new Main.

A cunninham gives a flatter sail without changing the outhaul or the
halyard

OT

By the way, Briggs Cunningham was more than a fair Auto Racer

Pure geometry. Use your logic sense. If it still doesent
work I will be glad to help out.

Yes, I could use some help. If the leech of a sail (triangle) is say 10%
longer than the luff and you tighten the luff along the luff how does the leech
ever get stressed. By the time that happened the luff would explode.
S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
Trains are a winter sport