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Windward Sheeting Simplifies Tacking
Windward Sheeting Simplifies Tacking
In light to moderate air, most boats sail upwind best with the traveler car above the centerline. This allows them to position the boom on the centerline without exerting too much mainsheet tension which would close the leech.
With a conventional traveler car, you need to release the leeward control line to bring the car above the centerline. Before tacking, the control line must be recleated and, during or after the tack, the new leeward control has to be released.
A Harken windward sheeting traveler car solves this problem. Windward sheeting cars have the control cleats built into a special mechanism that opens and closes the leeward cleat automatically during a tack.
As you're going upwind, the leeward cleat is open so you can draw the car above the centerline. When you tack, ignore the car — the old leeward cleat closes, the car stays where you left it, and the new leeward cleat opens so you can draw the car above the centerline on the new tack.
In heavy air, when you want the car below the centerline, the windward sheeting car works like any other—just ease the control lines to position the car, and it will move to a reciprocal position on the other tack.
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I find it helpful in both light and high winds, especially When I’m tacking in a crowded narrow channel with little time between tacks. During a tack, the traveler stays where it was before the tack, without my having to cleat the old leeward control before the tack. After the tack, i don’t need to to release the new leeward control line to pull the traveler up.
I certainly don’t need a windward sheeting car, but I really like it.
The traveler never slams to the new leeward side during a tack. And therefore I don’t have to pull it very far to get it back to centerline or higher.
