Three Sailboat Winch Secrets to Make Sailing Safer

Have you ever had your Genoa sheet fail to grip your sailboat winch? Or maybe those turns jammed onto the winch drum when you were tacking up a narrow channel. Follow these three secrets to learn how to sail a boat better than ever before!

Imagine trying to reign in a 200 square foot Genoa in 15 knots of wind by hand! You can determine just how much muscle power this would take with a simple calculation. Multiply the sail area (200) by the square of the wind speed (15 x 15) and divide the result by a factor of 232. In this example, sail force would be 194 pounds! (200 X 225 / 232 = 194).

Your sailboat winch serves as a powerful workhorse to save you effort--and a strained back. But how can you put these sailing gear miracles to work for peak performance?
It all begins with basic line control. You need to lead any line to a winch the correct way, wrap it around the winch for a strong grip, and use the best size gear to give you the most power. Follow these three simple secrets to make any winch work easier:

1. Lead Sheets Up to a Winch

Keep the headsail sheet angle from the Genoa block up to the winch drum at 95-100 degrees. This will prevent the turns form jamming--or "overriding"--onto the winch drum. If necessary, place another block, such as a snatch block, between the Genoa block and winch. This will insure that your sheet always leads at the correct angle for worry-free winching.

2. Use More Wraps for Better Grip

Wrap the sheet or halyard around the winch drum 3-4 times before you grind (turn) the winch. Older sailing rope tends to wear and become slippery after lots of use and exposure to salt and sun. More wraps will grip a slick winch drum like a clam--just what you need to handle the heavy loads of a headsail in moderate to heavy sailing winds.

3. Choose the Right Winch Handle Length

Did you know that the little-known secret of winch handle length can make a huge difference in the mechanical advantage--or power--necessary to trim your sails? Many winch handles are much too short and this causes you to work extra hard when you grind the winch. Follow this simple calculation to choose the perfect size winch handle for every grinding task:

* Hold the end of a measuring tape over the top center of the winch drum.
* Measure the distance to the outside edge of the drum.
* Multiply 4 times this measurement. Choose a winch handle at least this long.

Now you know three secrets that will help you sail a boat better with sailboat in all conditions. This will increase your sailing skipper skills, save you effort, and help you take full mechanical advantage of your sailboat winches--wherever in the world you choose to cruise.