Or, you can chicken jibe, something I believe I will be doing more of in the future.
Bill Coleman C&C 39 Erie, PA From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of David Knecht via CnC-List Sent: Monday, March 18, 2019 9:03 AM To: CnC CnC discussion list Cc: David Knecht Subject: Re: Stus-List Gybe preventer, now Boom Brake Since I posted this, I have been doing some research on Cruisers Forum. THere are a number of people who use the Dutchman, swear by them, have installed them on multiple boats and would not have a boat without one. I suspect it is one of those devices that once you learn how to use it, you find it essential. Watching videos of it in action, I can see its utility, especially for single/short handed racing and cruising. First, it can act as a preventer, which eliminates the need for both. Without a brake, when you gybe in heavier air and you are trying to pull the main in to reduce the swing force, and so your steering angle becomes increasingly critical to not gybe, plus your speed decreases increasing the wind pressure on the main. The longer it takes you to pull in the main, the worse the problem and with a big purchase mainsheet, that can be alot of line. I raced single handed once last season in 20 knots and did a autopilot gybe that worked out fine but was hairy enough to scare me. With the Dutchman, you wait for max speed or a lull, gybe the boat and genoa, then release the brake to allow the boom to slowly swing over. At least in theory, it is much more controlled. If you are confident of your brake setting, you could simply gybe and let the brake do its job, but that would take some testing to work out. I still think this is an option worth considering for those of us who tend to sail shorthanded. Dave 1990 C&C 34+ New London, CT
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