Mainsheet traveller

[Graham W]

Here is a photo of a mainsheet traveller arrangement, using a wide-mouthed trapeze ring and a few bits of string.  As someone pointed out aeons ago, grabbing the mainsheet and pulling it inboard helps upwind performance in light winds. For this system to work, you need a spinnaker sheet block on an endless loop each side, either the one that is supplied as standard by the boatyard or (recommended) a ratchet block as in the picture.

The small white cord is tied to the boom to stop the ring from slipping down and interfering with the mainsheet blocks.  The mainsheet is inserted through the trapeze ring and the other line pulled through the spinnaker block.  When not in use, it can be let go and the whole thing just dangles harmlessly suspended from the boom.

[Graham W]

The system told me that this topic had had no post for more than 120 days.  Actually, it's more like nine years!

Has anyone else tried to improvise a simple mainsheet traveller for a BR20/BRe? Please share details if you have tried it.

When I remember to hook it up, I use my "traveller" in light winds to pull the mainsheet to windward and it certainly seems to help with uphill performance.  I've never had the bottle to use it to pull the sheet to leeward in strong gusts like we're having today.  In theory, provided that you don't upend the boat first, that should help performance too.

[Sea Simon]

Thanks to your post, I made one of these several years ago GW!

It really is a help upwind in light airs. However....

In gusts like we're having here atm (last night > 60 knts) I'm not sailing at all, never mind trying to go faster!!!

In fact,  I walked out at low tide today, to check my boat/mooring, and found 4 links on my Chinese stainless "storm chain" fractured, apparently due to the shock loads experienced last night.

Boat otherwise aok!

[Peter T]

Barton track, not a cheap option and a bit tricky to fit but works well.

[Graham W]

Impressive, and it looks like it’s demountable when not needed.  Unlike with my cheapskate version, it can easily be adjusted to leeward for sailing in higher winds.

[Sea Simon]

I have serious "traveller envy" PT!

Think I could really have done with one of these last weekend, when I had to make a 3hr one tack beat, to get home in very strong, exceptonially gusty winds. Lots of bomb burst gusts as they dropped down over the cliffs.
Very short, steep head seas too.
Made it very difficult to keep way-on, and not really safe to cleat off even the reefed main.

One of these travellers might have saved my arms/hands from a very rigorous workout?

[Peter T]

It is demountable Graham and yes, it does all the things that a traveller should do i.e. create some sail shape in light winds when hauled up to windward and aids depowering when dropped to leeward.  I was also racing that weekend Simon and it helped a lot.  I have also installed a proper Cunningham and beefed up the kicker so all three work well together.  I discovered that care needs to be taken with the kicker though, my calls to the crew to heave on a bit more were followed quickly by a retraction when the boom started to look too much like a tensioned long-bow.

The traveller does have some disadvantages:

1) something to trip over although, to my surprise, I don't seem to do it that often.  The fact that it is relatively close to the cockpit floor helps.

2) More wet string lying around.  Not really a problem in practice.

As I said before the tricky bit is fitting the thing.  The plates at  each end of the traveller have to be precisely vertical and, in the horizontal direction, precisely at 90 degrees to the traveller (I don't think I have explained this very well!).  The sides of the locker are not vertical and they taper in towards the stern so the spacers have to be quite a complex shape.

[Graham W]

As I said before the tricky bit is fitting the thing.

In which case I think I’ll stick with my light wind only cheapskate version.

[MarkDarley]

Clearly you all have sails in better shape than mine....  This suggests I am due for a new suit!

[Jeff Curtis]

To Peter T

This looks brilliant but was there a reason why you did not use the 2:1 system?

[Peter T]

Apologies for the late response.

Not really, I decided to try 4:1 first and have found no reason to switch to 2:1 apart from the reduced amounts of string.  In practice I haven't found the string to be a problem so haven't bothered.