M
Malcolm Hamilton
I own a beautifuly maintained 30 Catalina and sail Sydney Harbour and environs. 2 weeks ago we almost experienced a knockdown near the harbour bridge after winds increased from 5 knots to 25-30 knots in a mtter of seconds. We were in control, however when trying to reef in the mainsal using the halyard winches, the rope constantly fouled itself by winding up the previous turn. This delayed control by several minutes and resulted in needless risk. Clearly, this is an inherant design fault. We have a custom made dodger however it does not foul the angle of the ropes from the guides to the winches in any way. Any suggestions or stories of similar experiences would be much appreciated.Malcolm Hamilton