Cruising World – May 2018

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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

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In the Crosshairs

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Shelter from

the Storm

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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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7
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JON WHITTLE

1

Keep It Simple or

Tweak for Twist

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