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Mainsail Controls
On Sep 28, 1:02 pm, "Capt. JG" wrote:
wrote in message I agree that paying attention is the most important factor, but on downwind runs of an hour or so, a small mistake can translate into a big problem. The preventer is perfect for that. This is especially true when inexperienced people are at the helm, which is fairly routine if I'm teaching. I've known of two incidents where boats got in big trouble with a preventer rigged. One ended up gybing anyway, turning about 120 degrees and getting stuffed when the main went aback; the other The times I've sailed other people's boats with preventers rigged, it always seemed more in the way than helpful. DSK I would qualify that by saying "many times" instead of always. -- "j" ganz Rigging a preventer to a winch that can be eased quickly is essential. I don't hold to the theory that it must be rigged from the end of the boom all the way to the bow. I take it from the main sheet bail on the boom to a bail or cleat on deck somewhere around the shrouds and back to a winch. A boom brake serves the purpose of preventing potentially fatal injuries caused by a madly swinging boom without the risk of forgetting to ease the preventer. A good sailor might be able to put his tiller down fast enough to slow the gybe, but one moments distraction might be fatal to a crew member. I remember the case of a guy named Vance who died front of his fiancee's eyes when a dramatic windshift near the Carquinez Straits bluffs gybed the boom across as he was returning from the foredeck. He was dead before he hit the water. A preventer or boom brake would have saved his life. |
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