cruisingworld.com
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may 2018
cruisingworld.com
SYSTEMS^55
A
s Cruising World’s Boat of
the Year judges evaluate
the latest crop of cruising sail-
boats each year, we inevitably
see new trends emerge in all
the detailed aspects of yacht
design. Over the next sever-
al months we’ll explore some
of these trends both in deck
layout and interior appoint-
ments. For now, we’ll look at
the latest sailhandling systems:
mainsails, headsails and how
general deck layout affects the
actual work of sailing.
A decade ago, the new trend
in line-handling design was
to bring as much running rig-
ging as possible — halyards,
sheets, vangs, travelers, top-
ping lifts, reef lines — back
to the cockpit. For these jobs,
banks of rope clutches came
to replace cleats on the cabin
top. This arrangement simpli-
fi ed maneuvers, particularly
for shorthanded crew, keeping
sailors in the cockpit and off
the foredeck.
Through the intervening
years, this trend has certain-
ly held. In the 2018 fl eet that
we inspected during and right
after the U.S. Sailboat Show in
Annapolis, Maryland, we saw
that theme further developed;
designers of most new models
now lead that running rigging
through covered composite
channels under the coachroof
or deck. Aesthetically, this fea-
ture produces an impressively
clean look on deck. Func-
tionally, it eliminates tripping
hazards for the crew. As we ex-
amined these fairleads boat by
boat, though, my judging col-
leagues and I recognized that
turning blocks require occa-
sional maintenance or hockle
clearing, and sometimes
sailors might want to open
the entire channel for a good
visual inspection.
Arguably the two cleanest
deck profi les in the 2018 fl eet
were those on the Swan 54 and
the Hanse 588. On the Swan,
1 KEEP IT SIMPLE OR TWEAK FOR TWIST
5
Plumb Crazy
PAGE 70
4
In the Crosshairs
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3
Shelter from
the Storm
PAGE 62
2
Stand Up and G0
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PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS and TECHNIQUES
HANDS-ON SAILOR
MAY 2018
The 2018 fleet of new cruising boats displayed a full variety of sailhandling choices — from the
plainest single-line sheeting to fine-tuned control of your sails’ entire power curve.
BY TIM MURPHY
With a traveler that spans
the width of the transom
and end-of-boom sheeting,
the HH55 provides multiple
tools for getting optimal
shape in the mainsail.
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JON WHITTLE
1
Keep It Simple or
Tweak for Twist
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