Traveler
- Thread starter David1st
- Start date
mike4947
Member
As for the history way back when some racers found if they clipped the main sheet to the side of the traveler that match the side of the mast the boom was on they got better sail control and were faster then the clip would slide out to the end of the traveler.
That lead to folks bending over the loop and taping it down and just using a bowline to attach the main sheet so the main sheet would "travel" from side to side depending on the tack.
The class OK'd for a while using a rope traveler so people wouldn't have to tape down the loop or have it come loose and the main sheet get stuck but it was almost impossible to measure in the rope. Either you couldn't tie it to the +/- one inch tolerance or it would stretch (or folks would make it longer and pretend it stretched, as the longer it was the better it worked) out of tolerance over a day's racing.
So in the end the class and the manufacturer got together and produced the wire bridle with no loop and even a removable sheave so there's no friction and you get real traveler action and make using a rope bridle illegal.
That lead to folks bending over the loop and taping it down and just using a bowline to attach the main sheet so the main sheet would "travel" from side to side depending on the tack.
The class OK'd for a while using a rope traveler so people wouldn't have to tape down the loop or have it come loose and the main sheet get stuck but it was almost impossible to measure in the rope. Either you couldn't tie it to the +/- one inch tolerance or it would stretch (or folks would make it longer and pretend it stretched, as the longer it was the better it worked) out of tolerance over a day's racing.
So in the end the class and the manufacturer got together and produced the wire bridle with no loop and even a removable sheave so there's no friction and you get real traveler action and make using a rope bridle illegal.
I don't know how it applies to a sunfish but on a bigger boat the main sheet is fixed to the traveler and you can use the traveler to adjust where it is over the boat. Let's say you're in a lighter wind and you want to bring the boom in closer to the centerline of your boat, if you use the main sheet to do this it will apply more down pressure on the boom flatting out your sail shape some. With a traveler you can bring the end of your mainsheet over to one side which will move your boom in closer to the centerline without adding down pressure on the boom and effecting your sail shape. That's what I read and it made sense to me "hope I did a good job of telling it" but like I started with I got no idea how it effects a sunfish.
