Wild ride

[Tweegs]

“Survival pinching”….I like the phrase!

We call our helmsman the Doberman Pincher. He likes to come up a bit more than the rest of us do.

I just went back and watched the video again; that traveller is high an awful lot, isn’t it?
Funny, that isn’t how I remember it, but there’s no arguing footage. I think we all knew the traveler should have been down, why it wasn’t is a really good question.


We’re getting the crew together for once a month meetings over the winter. The idea is to review footage, study how the boat actually works, discuss what improvements need to be made, etc. (really, it’s more of an excuse to sit around eating pizza and drinking beer, but we won’t tell the wives that.)

Most of the crew, including myself, are so new at this that I can’t see how it would hurt. Anything like this you guys bring up will be pointed out and discussed.

[paulk]

We use a solid vang and no topping lift.

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by Tweegs

“Survival pinching”….I

Or 'feathering'...

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by sailingfool

Just understand, none of these issues would occur if you adjust the topping lift properly...just once...and then never touch again for the remainder of your boat ownership. With the lift properly adjusted, the vang can only pull on the main, as it should...and the lift would never restrict trimming the main, as it should not.

I question whether a hard vang makes the topping lift redundant. A hard vang removes the topping lift as an element in your sail trim problems, but if you flake your main sail on the boom, a hard vang does not provide a stable boom for that operation, which a mainsheet trimmed against the topping lift does. On boats I sail with a hard vang and no topping lift, after dropping the mainsail, then the main halyard immediately comes to the aft end of the boom to suffice as a topping lift.

FWIW your problems with the topping lift is just that you haven't got it right.

I absolutely agree with everything in your post, but with a rigid vang, the topping lift is redundant. Matter of fact, I don't think I've ever been on a boat with both a rigid vang and a topping lift.

[Faster]

SF's comment about boats with rigid vangs stowing the halyard as a 'topping lift' is valid.. but that's the beauty...

You don't have the chafe and hassle, but you still have the boom support when the sail is stowed. (and no halyard slap!)