Gooseneck downhaul?

P

Perryche

Camp Don Lee
Hello all, new member here.
I'm a new employee at a summer camp in North Carolina. The sailing staff here rigs a downhaul on the gooseneck which flattens the sail a bit and also keeps the mast in the step and the sail tight during a capsize. I have never seen this practice elsewhere. Is this a good idea? Three weeks ago we had 20 boats out if 15-20 knots. We broke 3 upper spars that day, and I wonder if the "downhaul" may have contributed to this problem. The spars broke during a capsize in shallow water.
Thanks,
Perry
 
I don't think the mast broke because of the downhaul. The mast caught in the mud and with the action of the waves, the mast broke.
 
The downhaul is a very good practice (racers refer to it as a boom vang.) it is good the counselors know that trick - my days at summer camp the sails were hoisted sky-high!!

The upper spars do break when they get stuck in the mud. Even without getting stuck in the mud, eventually after a lot of sailing in salt water spars are prone to corrosion and breakage, but usually it is the lower spar that goes at the gooseneck. BB
 
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