Jibe Ho!

Learned the hard way, keep the traveler cleated. A rookie experience in 1981 running DDW in very gusty/shifty conditions, the wind shifted around causing an "accidental" gybe (I had no clue what was happening, probably preventing injury). The traveler car that was all the way out on Port moved to the end of the track on Starboard in what seemed like three nanoseconds, and then literally exploded. This was during the second race on Saturday making main sail control for the rest of the weekend ackward at best.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

As for preventing exploding traveler cars, I saw a racer tie a knot in the main/traveler sheet at a spot just before the car would hit the end of the track. I wonder what the knot would do to the swivel cam?

rather the swivel cam than damaging the track, or the car...or even worse...the whole block!:(

I use this method all the time...and never had a problem.

Every racer that I know of (including myself) ties a knot in the traveller line to keep the car from slamming into the corner casting. It doesn't do anything to the swivel cleat, since the line acts like a shock absorber.

On the 17 (which has an appetite for traveller cars when sailed hard), I don't even have end caps on the traveller track. The knot is the only thing that keeps the car from running out the end of the track. That way, you can easily replace the car on the water if it starts to lose its roller bearings.

I was reading this string and laughing because I used to sail with Matt Miller a time long long ago in places not so far away.

When sailing in high winds and big chop (San Francisco, San Felipe...) I don't think we ever executed a "controlled jibe". It was more like "ok, we've got to jibe, jibing" as the boat turned, Matt throws the tiller, executing a flying leap, me grabbing the new sheet and scrambling to the new side while sheeting in, hooking in, jumping out, and then gathering the main sheet that has just washed out of Matts hand and off the tramp as he is shouting "main sheet, MAIN SHEET" as the boat excellerates, as the bow burys, as we scramble to both stand on the rudder, as the bow lifts. The next wave hits us both and we are now behind the boat using the jib sheet as a "get back on the boat" line as I pull and Matt grabs me as a "get back on the boat device" as we get it back together just before the next jibe.

Isn't this the whole reason we sail?

Hammond, I couldn't agree more. There is a thrill in knowing that mother nature lets us have fun on these boats only as long as she wants, then, like a cat with a mouse, reminds us who's in charge.