On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 19:41:47 -0400, Glenn Ashmore
wrote:

Here is where I got the formula on the Harken site. About 2/3 down the
page:
http://www.harken.com/winches/wnchpower.php

It is also in Brion Toss's Riggers Apprentice on page 42. (Almost
verbatim from the harken site.) OTOH, when you look at the tables a 56
or 64 is the recommended size for a 500 sq ft foretriangle.

I wish to heck I knew what a Newton is. All the really authoritative
modern texts are metric!

Hold a good sized apple in your hand: that's a force of 1 newton
you're holding it up with - a little under a quarter pound.

Brian W