Captive balls make cars easy to load and maintain. 
Boom pulls block to leeward. Leeward cleat is held open. 
Windward cleat engages. Car
can be pulled above centerline without releasing leeward control line. 
Boom pulls block to leeward. Leeward cleat is held open. |
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.
There's a windward sheeting traveler for every
boat from dinghies to 45 footers (13.7 m) If you already have a Harken traveler, you'll
find a retrofit kit available for most.
Copyright© 2008 Harken, Inc. All rights reserved
If you would like to link to or reprint this article please contact Brownie Lewis
