The torque in these winches is significant: my Hinterhoeller-installed Lewmar Ocean 40 - their smallest - draws 700 watts (90 amps) and has a working/lifting load of 1750 lbs!
Fortunately, the halyard run in a Nonsuch is very straightforward. In my case, solid Harken Battcar track, blocks, guides and clutch hardware also help keep the friction down.
Nevertheless, when crew and passengers are on board, you can’t be too vigilant. Also line tangles, overrides or batten hang-ups have the separate risk of pulling the halyard block right off the top of the mast due to the massive torque.
Is there… training to be had on electrical self-tailing winches? I mean, I don’t put my fingers near the drum or tailer (I’ll hold the tail end of the line for flaking purposes), and the controls are 12 or so inches away. I can’t get my fingers on the same hand near the winch and the controls, but certainly I can operate the winch while holding the tailing line…
Brian
SV Serenity
Nonsuch Nereus #003
Pax River, MD
From reading about these gruesome accidents, it seems one precaution to remember is never manually attempt to fix an override while the line is under tension. Instead, attach a second line to the first with a rolling hitch, lead the second line to a second winch, and tighten the second line to take tension off the first line.
I’m sure all of us know this. It’s the novice crew and bystanders who want to “help” that we have to be especially vigilant with and ensure they don’t get into trouble.
Attached as promised are a couple of photographs of the cam cleat I fitted to Nonsuch Luck’s mast which enables me to hoist the sail at the mast when sailing single-handed.
Bob Illingworth
Nonsuch Luck 30U #367 (GBR1262T)
Moored Titchmarsh marina, Essex, UK; cruising the rivers of East Anglia, and, the North Sea.
(Attachment Clam cleat for halyard 2.jpg is missing)
(Attachment Clam cleat for halyard 1.jpg is missing)
Attached as promised are a couple of photographs of the cam cleat I fitted to Nonsuch Luck’s mast which enables me to hoist the sail at the mast when sailing single-handed.
Bob Illingworth
Nonsuch Luck 30U #367 (GBR1262T)
Moored Titchmarsh marina, Essex, UK; cruising the rivers of East Anglia, and, the North Sea.
(Attachment Clam cleat for halyard 2.jpg is missing)
(Attachment Clam cleat for halyard 1.jpg is missing)
I have made this, except I made the jammer up top rather than near deck. You attach lower end to existing collar around mast, and upper to Cunningham cringle on sail. I also attached a piece of shock-cord between upper block and sail to keep the Cunningham from flopping about when not in use. No need to attach any new hardware fittings around the mast.
Thanks for sharing this information, it’s very helpful. Sorry for being a bit thick, but I did have a couple of questions. First, you say you reversed the set up and put the jammer on top. Does that mean the Cunningham line doesn’t go back to the cockpit but terminates at the mast? Second, does the bungee cord go around a sail slide? Not picturing how it attaches the block to the sail. Thanks.
This was on a sloop, while racing the foredeck crew could apply or release the Cunningham, so no it didn’t go to cockpit. I suppose on a Nonsuch, it could be set-up similar to the reef lines to the cockpit, in which case you would not need, or want, a jammer at the mast. The bungee was simply tied off at a convenient location, on the sloop that was the boom. I don’t have a Cunningham on my boat, so haven’t thought about how I’d connect the bungee cord. The bungee is just to stop the Cunningham from bouncing around when not in use, and whacking against the mast, while sailing or at the dock, it does not affect the operation of the Cunningham.
The upper block was attached to the sail with a short piece of rope. Its similar to the mast end of the existing reef lines, except a Cunningham is attached at a lower point on the luff. It is applied once the sail is hoisted at max halyard tension. The blocks give you some mechanical advantage to pull the lower luff down. You want to be sure to release the Cunningham when putting boat away, so it is not on when you next hoist the sail. One more rope to think about…
My one suggestion would be to get some kind of tape or rubber strip underneath the hose clamp to avoid corrosion between the stainless clamp and the aluminum mast.
