| Have you ever had your Genoa sheet fail to grip your | | | | 2. Use More Wraps for Better Grip |
| sailboat winch? Or maybe those turns jammed onto | | | | Wrap the sheet or halyard around the winch drum 3-4 |
| the winch drum when you were tacking up a narrow | | | | times before you grind (turn) the winch. Older sailing |
| channel. Follow these three secrets to learn how to sail | | | | rope tends to wear and become slippery after lots of |
| a boat better than ever before! | | | | use and exposure to salt and sun. More wraps will grip |
| Imagine trying to reign in a 200 square foot Genoa in | | | | a slick winch drum like a clam--just what you need to |
| 15 knots of wind by hand! You can determine just how | | | | handle the heavy loads of a headsail in moderate to |
| much muscle power this would take with a simple | | | | heavy sailing winds. |
| calculation. Multiply the sail area (200) by the square of | | | | 3. Choose the Right Winch Handle Length |
| the wind speed (15 x 15) and divide the result by a | | | | Did you know that the little-known secret of winch |
| factor of 232. In this example, sail force would be 194 | | | | handle length can make a huge difference in the |
| pounds! (200 X 225 / 232 = 194). | | | | mechanical advantage--or power--necessary to trim |
| Your sailboat winch serves as a powerful workhorse | | | | your sails? Many winch handles are much too short |
| to save you effort--and a strained back. But how can | | | | and this causes you to work extra hard when you |
| you put these sailing gear miracles to work for peak | | | | grind the winch. Follow this simple calculation to choose |
| performance? | | | | the perfect size winch handle for every grinding task: |
| It all begins with basic line control. You need to lead any | | | | * Hold the end of a measuring tape over the top |
| line to a winch the correct way, wrap it around the | | | | center of the winch drum. |
| winch for a strong grip, and use the best size gear to | | | | * Measure the distance to the outside edge of the |
| give you the most power. Follow these three simple | | | | drum. |
| secrets to make any winch work easier: | | | | * Multiply 4 times this measurement. Choose a winch |
| 1. Lead Sheets Up to a Winch | | | | handle at least this long. |
| Keep the headsail sheet angle from the Genoa block | | | | Now you know three secrets that will help you sail a |
| up to the winch drum at 95-100 degrees. This will | | | | boat better with sailboat in all conditions. This will |
| prevent the turns form jamming--or "overriding"--onto | | | | increase your sailing skipper skills, save you effort, and |
| the winch drum. If necessary, place another block, such | | | | help you take full mechanical advantage of your |
| as a snatch block, between the Genoa block and | | | | sailboat winches--wherever in the world you choose to |
| winch. This will insure that your sheet always leads at | | | | cruise. |
| the correct angle for worry-free winching. | | | | |