mainsheet bridle vs traveller

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• Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Do Twin Sheets Better Control the Mainsail?

Practical sailor compares using twin sheets instead of a conventional sliding traveler to manage the main..

The main traveler is one of those love-hate pieces of gear on a boat. We love that it separates control of twist and angle of attack into a quick and instinctive process. We hate it when it clutters up a cockpit and fear it when it slashes across the deck during a breezy weather jibe. A traditional alternative is a split- or twin-mainsheet system. We thought this setup had become extinct, but in fact we’re seeing it on a few of today’s high-performance multihulls, which suggests it still has merit. Every user we interviewed loved it. And so some testing was in order.

There are three main arguments in favor of a split mainsheet.

• Convenience. The traveler track is in the way. Often a twin mainsheet system can be designed to span a cockpit or cabin.
• Simplicity. Travelers are expensive, wear over time, and occasionally fail spectacularly.
• Better jibe control . Because the two lines create a triangle, the boom can be fully controlled through the jibe. Countless MOBs and notable fatalities have resulted from accidental jibes, (see “ Risk Management and Renting Adventure ,” PS January 2017).

Even if you have no interest in converting your system or buying a boat with twin mainsheets, it can be a robust jury rig that every cruising sailor should understand. As long as you have a pair of unused winches, a twin-sheet system can be rigged from gear on hand in a matter of minutes.

How We Tested

It was a simple matter to rig our test boat for both traveler sheeting and twin-tackle sheeting. We don’t use our secondary winches under working sail, so we installed a pair of turning blocks where the rail of a monohull would be and set up a simple 2:1 block and tackle led to winches. We equipped both systems with a quick connect at the boom end so that we could easily switch back and forth between sheeting systems.

Observations

Retraining is required. Instead of adjusting the twist with the sheet and angle of attack with the traveler, the adjustments are combined. When sailing to windward the sheets are each about the same length, both highly loaded and most adjustments require pulling two strings. When the leeward sheet is trimmed, the leach closes and the boom moves to leeward. If the windward sheet is trimmed, the leach closes and the boom moves to windward. Perfecting boom position and twist requires adjusting both in a trial and error process. Dumping a sheet in a gust increases twist, but not as quickly or dramatically as releasing a single sheet. You can’t play the traveler in a breeze, the way many racers do, varying the angle of attack without increasing twist.

Marking the sheets at the centered, windward position can be handy during the learning phase. Mark both the low-tension setting, used during jibes and when the main is furled, and the fully loaded windward position. This will reduce trial and error.

Like many running rigging modifications, switching to a twin-mainsheet arrangement has advantages and disadvantages. One of the most rewarding benefits has been the ability to prevent unnecessary movement of the boom.

• Jibing. Better control and less traveler hazard in heavy air.
• Boom does not bounce around as much in lumpy conditions.
• No vang. (Actually, the need for a vang is about equal in both systems.)
• May better accommodate cabins and dodgers.
• Better stabilizes boom at anchor, but may block cockpit.
• From 5 to 35 percent less sheet purchase is required, depending on the width of the sheeting base. (Typically, a dual-sheet system offers little or no advantage for multihulls.)
• Cheaper. However good block and tackle setups still aren’t cheap.
• Jibing. More trimming in light to moderate conditions.
• Sail can back and fill violently in certain conditions, since the boom cannot move.
• More complex sheeting. Unlike traveler systems, twist and angle of attack are not separate adjustments.
• More weight on the boom.
• Tackle can block cockpit when reaching.
• Nearly double sheet length. Tripping and entanglement hazard.
• More expensive if you need two additional winches. Slightly cheaper if tackles will work, though a pair of good tackles still aren’t cheap.

There is a lot to like about twin sheets when jibing in a breeze. First, pull in the leeward sheet to the center position mark. Then pull the windward sheet to same length, centering the boom and securing it. Once through the eye, release the new windward sheet followed by easing the leeward sheet as needed. The process is very smooth and the boom is fully controlled throughout the jib. The boom will lift a little more than with a traveler, but not excessively so.

Using a traveler, you first sheet the main in fairly tight, then center the traveler or even bring it a bit to windward. The boom will thump a short distance when the wind moves from one side to the other, but only a little if the mainsheet was snug, after which the traveler is eased all the way down, followed by the easing the sheet as required. If the sheeting base of the twin mainsheet system is the same as the traveler length (both should be as wide as practical) the amount of mainsheet out during the jibe is the same in both cases.

When jibing in light winds, the advantage is goes to the traveler system, which can be left to run free. In moderate winds jibing safety and ease becomes roughly equal, with the edge on trimming speed going to the traveler, and often, the edge on trimming range, to the twin sheet system.

Some say twin sheets work like a vang. Well no, not really, no more than a traveler system does. Most multihulls dispense with a vang entirely for this reason; a full width traveler provides sufficient twist control. Neither functions exactly like a vang. However, using a vang with twin mainsheets is a bit like scratching your head and patting your tummy at the same time. We found it hard to keep straight and would avoid it. With a traveler system, it is simple to switch between vang sheeting and traveler sheeting, and they can even be combined without complication.

A single continuous sheet was simpler to manage with twin sheets. It saves some length, since the leeward tackle is always shorter than windward tackle. It also reduces tangling, because there is no free end to form knots. You can always bring both ends to the windward rail. It does leave a lot of line on the floor. Remember the old saying, “Mainsheet men hop on one leg?” You’ll need to watch your footing and learn some boat-specific line management.

No traveler equals less cockpit clutter. Yes, a traveller divides the cockpit in two. But the twin-sheets interfere in a similar way. We really dislike the mid-cockpit traveler on the F-24. If you want to go aft you have to step over it; with twin sheet systems through-transom access is clear. But with the twin mainsheet system, we had to duck under the windward sheet, especially when off the wind, a time when the cockpit is normally free.

The same argument can be made for securing the boom at anchor. On one hand this is dead easy with two sheets. On the other hand, even if you secure it off to one side, one of the sheets still crossed the cockpit. On our PDQ we would often move the traveler to one side to clear the aft cockpit walk-trough and secure the boom with a short line to a cleat, creating the same sort of triangle. The overall advantage or disadvantage is boat specific.

A common argument for twin sheets is safety since the most powerful sail on the boat is also the most dangerous, but a traveler used correctly is just as safe.

• A boom brake can help control a jibe, but it is not the same as having a mainsheet that will set and hold.

• For testing twin sheets we attached the sheet leads to the trimaran’s beams using a strap with D-rings at each end.

• When reaching the two sheets combine to help control the height of the boom above the deck.

In addition to the twin-sheet arrangement described in the adjacent article, Practical Sailor has looked at various techniques to trim and tame the mainsail. Many of the measures are relatively inexpensive and are simple to carry out.

Some related reports include:

“ The Multifarious Mainsheet ” PS May 2013.

“ Tools to Tame the Jibe ” PS July 2017.

“ Testers Examine Running Rigging Options ,” PS November 2010.

“ Undoing Mainsheet Twist. ” PS February 2018.

“ Taming the Main: Sail-Handling Systems for Bigger Mainsails ,” February 2008.

There is no traveler car potentially zipping from side to side. On the other hand, the extra rope poses a tripping and entanglement hazard. Both can be managed.

We’ve heard it said a twin sheet system can serve as a preventer of sorts, because if the sheet is kept short, the boom cannot fly across the cockpit center line.

We reject this as an advantage, because exactly the same can be said of a properly used traveler. With the traveler locked down at the end of its travel, and with each sheet in a dual-sheet system kept the same length, the swing of the boom is the same.

However, if you run downwind with the traveler centered, the boom held down with the vang, and a lot of sheet out, or you do not lock the traveler car down at the end, the boom can move violently, but only because you are not using the equipment correctly.

Extreme beam of multihulls affects how traveler and twin sheet systems are used. Travelers are typically full width and aft swept shrouds limit easing the boom to about 50 degrees from the centerline. As a result, there is little sheet out when the traveler is fully eased, even running. Likewise, twin-sheet systems have only a little sheet out to leeward. The downside is that widely spaced, twin-sheet tackle anchor points result in an obtuse angle between the tackles and very high sheet loads when sailing upwind.

Less banging in sloppy light airs. With two sheets, the boom can be secured. But we very seldom had this problem, and we could always rectify it with a line to a stern cleat. On the other hand, in light moderate conditions, instead of the boom being able to move a bit and the sail flexing with the wind, the fixed boom made for some atrocious “booms” as the sail filled and backed when rolling. When it became a problem, there was no easy solution, as there would be with a traveler system. In the end, we decided this over-control of the boom was more minus than plus, but this probably varies with the motion of the boat and others may feel differently. Let’s call it a wash.

More complex sheeting. With a traveler and mainsheet system, the sheet primarily controls twist and the traveler controls the angle of attack. With two sheets they work together to form a triangle that controls the position of the boom. To windward, most adjustment require pulling two strings. When the leeward sheet is trimmed, the leach closes and the boom moves to leeward. If the windward sheet is trimmed, the leach closes and the boom moves to windward. Often both must be moved, in a sort of trial-and-error process. All of the same boom positions are possible, but it requires more thought and fiddling.

Less sheet purchase. It’s true that if the sheeting base is narrow, the tackles can be smaller, since they share the load when sailing to windward. On the other hand, with the wide base typical of a multihull (base 16 feet, boom height 5 feet), the angle is disadvantageous and the sheet load is not appreciably reduced. In both cases, there are now two tackles to be tensioned instead of one. Because our sheeting systems were different in each mode, we can only comment on the obvious math.

Load distribution. A traveler track is often a structural member of the boat. When the boat jibes, the stress is spread over a span of deck. With a twin sheet system, the loads, both vertical and transverse, are point loads, and either hard on the wind or during a jibe they can be massive. If converting from traveler to twin system, remember that managing the loads is more complicated than just adding a big backing plate; the cockpit coamings or cabin must be able to transfer potentially enormous shock loads safely to the hull. We’ve heard of cockpits crushed when a sailor removed a structurally necessary traveler bridge.

Conclusions

After weeks of playing with twin sheets, we went back to the traveler and single-sheet system. We enjoyed sailing with twin sheets and felt that a well engineered twin-sheet system will suit some boats and some sailors. We like twin sheets for cruising and even reefed down in heavy weather. Controlled jibing is nice. But racing or powered-up in a multihull or sport boat, rapid, simple adjustment is vital. In the end, we understand the overwhelming popularity of traveler-based systems on both cruising and race boats. Sailing is simpler.

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12 comments.

If you had these issues in paperback I would love to subscribe to your magazine . I want something I can refer back to . But you don’t , so I don’t .

You can easily download issues onto a computer. Beats the hell out of lugging 10 years of paper documents around. Takes up zero space and also adds zero weight – other than that of the computer.

Having said that, I have years of paper issues stored (most of which I have been able to download electronically) and would be happy to give them to you if you would pay for the expense to send them.

Practical Sailor is available in print. Check the subscription page.

Practical Sailor is available in print. Check the subscription page. Additionally, a subscription comes with full digital access to all back issues.

My F-9AXR trimaran was built with a twin sheet system, designed by Mike Leneman, who also supplied the wing mast & forestay. The boom is extended (approximately 18”) so that the sheets attach from the end of the boom down to the coaming near the aft end of the cockpit. It is a 12:1 continuous line with a shive on the boom joining both sides. We race more than cruise. Observations after 7 years; we love the openness of the cockpit & only miss the traveller a little when racing upwind. When reaching, we just crack off a little & go. When running downwind with an assym spin, the main seems to work well cracked off a little more than a reach, but surprisingly much less than 45 degrees. We use the mainsail leach telltales to help us dial in trim. Bottom Line; From my experience, the added complexity, weight & expense does not outweigh what would appear to be the small potential gains of a traveller system.

My wife and I have been living for 11 years aboard a 1997 Catana 44 with a twin sheet main. On our first crossing from Ft Lauderdale to Bimini in 2010 we noticed the single-point attachment of the mainsheet dead end and turning block was flexing the coaming under load. We pulled the deck rings from the coaming and used a hole saw to remove the fiberglass skin and discovered the coaming balsa core was saturated. We dug out all the wet core and filled the space out to about 2X the diameter of the deck ring bases with glass mat and epoxy, and enlarged the backing plates. We also added a second hard point for each sheet so that each dead end tied off on the original ring and the turning blocks on new ones, set three feet wider than the originals, these hard points also set on the coaming after replacing the balsa core as on the originals. This change effectively halved the load on the coaming rings, and substantially improved our ability to tweak the main with the wider spread of the mainsheet dead ends and turning blocks.

I’m surprised to read your technique for jibing with a traveler, and the comment about the traveler potentially “zipping across the cockpit”. I prefer to keep the traveler centered when sailing downwind.

I know that you Americans have your own brand of my language, but the verb ‘to better control’ can’t be found in any dictionary, yours or mine. Your headline should read ‘Do twin sheets control the mainsheet better’. PLEASE !

I have been using the traveler system for most of my life, 40+ years, and I just bought a catamaran with a Delta mainsheet system (Twin mainsheets). To me, the biggest factor is control of the leach and boom. My experience has been that I can get to a trim faster with the Traveler system but with a little more patients and fiddling around I can get to the same trim with the Delta. The other point that I think is important to consider when choosing mainsheet systems is preventing accidental jibes. I think most readers know that one can use a preventer with the Traveler to avoid accidental jibes and this works well but it is still uncomfortable to say the least when it happens. The Delta system has a built in preventer out to a certain angle. If the boom is out past the leeward sheet deck attachment in the Delta system, you can still have problems though not as big as with the Traveler system. To me, many of the other points addressed are about configuration and comfort. In my case, I still like the Traveler mainsheet over the Delta mainsheet because I am more oriented towards performance so I may convert my catamaran to a Traveler setup in the future. I’d be interested in experiences in converting from a Delta or Twin setup to a Traveler. Thank you for the read.

Maybe I missed it, but one issue you don’t address is ease of access (or lack thereof) to both main sheet & traveler when you’re at the helm or tiller, i.e. right at the stern of the boat. This wasn’t a problem with my J24 as both traveler and main sheet are right at the helm/tiller, and so control of the main is extremely easy & convenient, and safe. But surely if the main is controlled from a traveler on the cabintop, this means that on most boats you have to leave the tiller or wheel and go forward to adjust the mainsheet and/or traveler?

If sailing single-handed, especially when entering/leaving port or a river or anchorage, having to leave the helm to go forward to the cabintop to adjust the mainsheet and/or traveler is surely a big inconvenience, maybe even dangerous? I would have thought that in this situation, a twin mainsheet leading to each quarter near the tiller or wheel where the helmsman can easily adjust the Main – would be invaluable – and far safer/more practical than trying to adjust the mainsheet and/or traveler on a cabintop.

So in short handed situations, especially in confined waters where maybe quite a bit of tacking/jibing is required, or spilling wind from the mainsail – surely this is where twin sheets led aft would really shine?

Hi. Good article. I’d like to describe what I have on my boat. It won’t be for everyone, because my trimaran is a center cockpit, ala Jim Brown, so I don’t have the problem of the lines draping over the cockpit when sheets are eased. My points of attachment are approx 7 ft apart. Boom height about 5 ft. I originally had a single line system with 3 blocks on the end of the boom, but that always sought its own level, like water, and would not stay where I wanted it. After looking at a Cantana at Raiatea with the twin, and separate, set up, I cut the sheet in two and run it through a fiddle on top and fiddle with becket on bottom, both sides. 3:1 purchase, I believe. The sheets come to a deck organizer on center, then through a double rope clutch and to a single, small, 2 speed winch, all of which, I can reach easily from the wheel. When gybing, I put one wrap of each sheet on the winch, clutches closed, and haul together. When the leeward one reaches vertical, and stops, I take the slack out of the windward one and I’m ready for gybing. Pulling both stops a ton of slack from laying around the deck and causing problems. I also had to reinforce under my deck attachments as the loads when the leeward one is vertical are pretty strong. I have a tackle vang, but when sheets are eased, I take a preventor out to a midships cleat and back to a winch, so then have a 3 point hold on the boom end. Having raced for many years, I really did not want a traveller with all the lines, winches and tackles. When going to weather, or close reach, it’s easy to put which ever sheet needs adjusting on the winch and give it a tweak. A couple of improvements that I’m thinking about when I get to return to the boat (Separate story: It’s in New Zealand and I’m stuck here in US, Covid, coming up 2 years now) is to have the 2 sheets different colors. There’s a lot of white line spread around sometimes. Also thinking about having only 2 feet, or so, of tackle and 4-5 ft of dyneema strops to the boom. This would save 20ft +/- of sheet length but might end up having flying blocks, if the gybe got out of hand. Overall, the system works really well for me and mainsail trim is where I want it.

You almost got it right. If you attach the preventers/sheets to the toe-rail just aft of the side chain plates and attach/use 2 boom bails to separate load on the boom, you will have control of the mainsail all the way out over the water, there are no dangerous lines in the cockpit, you cannot have a dangerous accidental jibe, all jibes are controlled safe events, control lines can be run along the side deck into the cockpit. You need to attach the preventer out on the toe rail. I’ve been using that system for decades and installed it on several boats successfully.

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Traveller versus mainsheet?

• Thread starter JonnyQuest
• Start date Jul 21, 2013
• Featured Contributors
• Sail Trim with Don Guillette

The mainsheet and a traveller both control the amount of distance the boom is allowed to swing away from the centerline. I read about this I Don's sail trim guide but still can't grasp any difference between a traveller and the mainsheet. Can y'all help me grasp the difference? I don't have a traveller, so what am I missing when trimming my mainsail?  

I have had the same question. The obvious difference is that the attachment point to the boat can be moved with the traveler. Therefor the boom can move pass the midway point where the mainsheet usually is attached. I can see that this would make quite a difference but would enjoy reading more.  

I attended a North Sails seminar last year. The moderator explained as follows, think of the traveler adjustments as "opening or closing the barn door"; basically controlling the angle of attack of the mainsail. If the traveler is set to leeward, you are dumping quite a bit of air; conversely, if the traveler is set to windward, you are capturing quite a bit of air. So, in higher winds you can use the traveler to dump excess wind thereby reducing excess healing & rounding up and in light to moderate winds you can set the traveler to windward to capture more air. On the other hand, the mainsheet controls twist in the upper 1/2 of the mainsail. Easing the mainsheet induces more twist in the top of the sail allowing air to be spilled from the top of the main and tightening the mainsheet captures more air in the upper part of the main. Supposedly there is approximately 60% more wind in the top part of the mainsail as compared to the lower part of the mainsail because of reduced friction aloft. Therefore, you are really using the mainsheet to control twist aloft to enable a more symmetrical flow of air across the entire sail, top to bottom for better performance. Of course, in higher winds, you can induce more twist ,by easing the mainsheet, to spill more air from the top of the sail. More twist in higher winds equates to less heel, less weather helm, and reduced tendency to "round up" in gusts/lifts. I am no sail trim expert; however, these are a few basic things that differentiate the traveler controls vs mainsheet controls. I am sure there are many more nuances that are beyond my grasp.  

The mainsheet sets the sail shape (flat, full, whatever is needed). The traveler sets the trim (relative to the wind direction). With only one control, both shape and trim are changing as the sail is eased when falling off from close hauled. With two controls, shape and trim can be managed independently.  

Don Guillette

BigEasy is on to it. The traveler analogy of the barn door is a good one but I prefer the screen door. Assume your screen door had a pin in the corner that rides in a groove on the floor. When you open and close the screen door does the shape of the screen change. Obviously, it doesn't. Same with the traveler -- when you move the car from side to side the shape of the sail remains the same. All you're changing is the ANGLE OF ATTACK. The mainsheet can also be used to change the angle of attack and if you don't have a traveler that's what you're stuck with but when you adjust the mainsheet you're also messing with twist and draft position. Here's why I use the traveler to get the boat back on it's feet when hit by a gust. I just drop the traveler, changing the angle of attack, and the boat comes back on its feet. When the gust passes I merely move the traveler to it's former position and sail on my merry way. Some mates prefer to use the mainsheet and if that's all you have you have to use it and it's basically the same thing. Once the gust passes you put the mainsheet in it's former position. The traveler is easier to use, if you have one. That's just a common seaman's explantion. RichH, Joe from San Diego can explain it better than I can.  

HukilauMike

Jonny: if you don't have a traveller (and I don't either), then you should at least have a boom vang. Using the vang and mainsheet in combination, you can approximate the effect of a traveller. However, it is only an approximation. Those of us without a traveller are really only making due. I agree with Don in the use of the traveller as the quickest, easiest and most efficient way to trim the main in response to changes in the wind velocity. On my boat (Oday 23), there is no easy way to install a traveller short of putting a track across an already-crowded cockpit. Not happening for me.  

This is beginning to make sense now. I DO have a boom vang, hence not figuring out the big difference between traveller and mainsheet effects. I can see how without a boom bang that the mainsheet one would allow the boom to rise and thus induce twist in the mainsail. But as long as a vang is keeping the boom on a fixed arc of movement then mainsheet adjustment should be quite similar to traveller adjustment. Differences then being a traveller can also induced twist by moving boom higher than center position.  

Jonnyquest: Nope, on one point, the traveler can't induce TWIST. The BOOM VANG is your primary twist control and the mainsheet is secondary. As sail trim technology developed sailors took one mainsail control (mainsheet) and added to it (traveler) to obtain better sail trim -- sorry RichH, I just made that up!!! As I explain in the first chapter of my book, a mate has to understand draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack or sail trim will never make any sense. Next they have to understand how ALL the sail trim controls on the main and jib relate to those 4 elements. You're almost there brother and I was there like you many years ago until the sail trim lights went on. Go back to my explanation using the screen door. You could have a traveler track that extends from one side of your boat to your neighbors on both sides of you and you could move it all day and twist would not be effected because it's a fixed horizontal movement. Nothing happens vertically, otherwise you'd need a new screen door every couple of months. Maybe at some point in my example (extending the track 60') it would but I doubt it.  

johnnyquest--the traveller is redundant.  

Paul Mermelstein

zeehag said: johnnyquest--the traveller is redundant. Click to expand

25yearslater

Hi Jonny. I too eliminated the traveller from my 27 because of placement. I pounded my shins more than enough going below with the cockpit layout. The vang and mainsheet don't equal the effectiveness of a traveller but with Don's book firmly ensconsed in my noggin I am just as happy with my mainsail control without the traveller. I did keep it and am looking at mounting it along the stern in some fashion if I decide to want more. I am regularly cruising along at or above hull speed without excessive heeling. I don't point as well as the original inboard jib tracks and traveller offered but I get great speed that makes up for the lost degrees.  

On the wind, traveler controls angle of attack, main sheet controls twist... Off the wind, main sheet controls angle of attack, vang controls twist....  

i sailed for most of my formative years without a traveller. travellers are redundant.  

steve_in_Lex

Sprega said: On the wind, traveler controls angle of attack, main sheet controls twist... Off the wind, main sheet controls angle of attack, vang controls twist.... Click to expand

These are all great comments, thanks to everyone. Don: I'm going to take adjustment controls individually out of your guide and work on one at a time. As best I can. Probably specific questions later too. Joe: thanks for the info on your similar ODay. You've got new sails, did you get to sail it earlier with old sails for a before-after comparison that your new set of sails make on the ODay? Where did you get your sails by the way?  

steve_in_Lex said: Exactly. It's a fine-tuning thing for sure, but if you think about it, a lot of twist means that half your sail (either top or bottom half) will be at the wrong angle to the wind all the time. Vang's aren't strong enough to control twist when the sail is in relatively tight (say, 30% or less from center), so that's where the traveler and sheet combination work best. Going upwind in a good breeze, keep the sheet tight and play the traveler. Click to expand

Jonny: When You get a traveler remember that someone commented about banging there shins! You will too if you get a high one. (1" or more) I have a low one (3/8" high 1 1/8 wide) with a T shape track for the above reason. I would get one strong enough for your boat and low enough you don't hurt yourself. If you beer can race ocassionaly...You will LOVE it!  

Traveller and mainsheet but no vang I just bought a S2 11.0CC and it has a traveller mounted just aft of the cockpit with the mainsheet running directly behind the helmsman's position. At times it's in the way but that's because I've been primarily using the mainsheet to trim and only use the traveller when on a broad reach. I single-hand a lot so it's easier to just have 1 control to manage on the main. Now I'll know better. However, the previous owner removed the boom vang - reasons unknown or maybe it was constantly obstructing access to the companionway - so I'm wondering what effect this is having on my seeming inability to get close to the wind. I think I may know the answer after reading these posts but wonder if someone smarter than me could explain. The vang is stored below and can easily be re-installed.  

Re: Traveller and mainsheet but no vang Jonnyquest: I don't know if you have my sail trim chart and more importantly the QUICK REFERENCE that is provided FREE with the chart. Working with each sail trim control for the main and jib is one way of practicing but I think a better way is to work individually with the "4 elements of sail trim" -- draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack. Let's say you want to focus on TWIST and this answers fruivita question. Twist is controlled primarily by the boom vang and secondarily by the mainsheet. You can see twist happen at your dock by hoisting the mainsail and cranking on ithe boom vang -- you'll see the top open and close. When you're sailing along you can do the same thing. Loosen the boom vang and watch the top of the sail open up (you're spilling air and power) and the boat will slow down. Crank on the boom vang and watch the top close and the boat will speed up.  

Don Guillette said: Jonnyquest: I don't know if you have my sail trim chart and more importantly the QUICK REFERENCE that is provided FREE with the chart. Working with each sail trim control for the main and jib is one way of practicing but I think a better way is to work individually with the "4 elements of sail trim" -- draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack. Let's say you want to focus on TWIST and this answers fruivita question. Twist is controlled primarily by the boom vang and secondarily by the mainsheet. You can see twist happen at your dock by hoisting the mainsail and cranking on ithe boom vang -- you'll see the top open and close. When you're sailing along you can do the same thing. Loosen the boom vang and watch the top of the sail open up (you're spilling air and power) and the boat will slow down. Crank on the boom vang and watch the top close and the boat will speed up. Click to expand

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What's the advantage of two main sheets vs. a traveller?

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Hello all, I've seen some blue water cruisers rigged with two main sheets, one port and one starboard, versus a simple mainsheet or a traveller. I'm confused as to what advantage this would have. Seems like a lot more spaghetti. Can someone show me the light? Thanks Paul  

Hey, Some of the bigger boats are now coming with 'german' main sheet. This is a long sheet, usually led aft on both port and starboard. The advantage is that you can trim the main from either side. I have seen this a lot on the new boats with twin helms. I guess this makes it easier for the driver to also trim the main. Note that a german main sheet does not preclude the use of a traveler. Barry  

Much less expensive than a good traveler.. a more stable boom at rest, but the combination of the two sheet tensions can do all a traveler can do.. Definitely more 'spaghetti' as you say with two mainsheet tails to deal with. Also many mainsheet adjustments become 'two pull' affairs (although most main trim adjustments will involve traveler and sheet). You lose the ability to quickly dump the main in a puff with traveler alone. I've seen it on C&C 24s, Niagara 35s from the factory. In both cases they were cabintop mounted and pretty much negated any possibility of a dodger. It's rare enough that it's obviously not "THE" setup.  

I have been seeing the triangulated double main sheet on cruisers and wondering why they are showing up myself. Frankly they add a lot of line and blocks, don't offer any advantage I can think of, require more skill to adjust and more frequent adjustment, and add bigger loads on the boom. It's a mystery to me....  

Seems particularly awful for a jibe.  

I could see an advantage to opening up space in the cockpit, etc. getting rid of the traveler (avoiding an arch). And I guess I could see where on bigger boats the loads might become such that it's easier, structurally and financially, to do something like a double main-sheet. But I sure do like my traveler.  

Pretty common on Catalinas since the 90's probably, both my '94 270 and '02 320. Both use travelers, not much advantage really, I use my cabin top winches for the spinnaker so it enables me to carry the mainsheet on the opposite one. Usually keep the mainsheet on port winch, starboard for main halyard, but then spinnaker halyard and outhaul are port so you can end up switching around a little.  

Having a boat with the 2 main sheet setup, I can chime in here. I see this setup (not the "German Mainsheet" described earlier) as pre-dating the traveler and is on more classic style boats. It does allow for very precise control over the boom and main but is rather complicated to set. You set the angle to the wind with the upwind sheet and the flatness of the sail, therefore the draft position, with the downwind sheet which changes the angle slightly. Travelers make tacking easier, allowing more precise angle on the other tack and quicker too. Just move the traveler to the spot equidistant on the other side. I like my setup for gybing. I can slow the boom down as it crosses the wind and adjust just how far the boom will go over to minimize the power of the gybe. The downwind sheet can be moved forward for a quick and effective preventer when sailing downwind. You can have a dodger (I do). I don't see how it would preclude that. Switching from a boat with a traveler to my current boat has been quite a steep learning curve. Tod  

My Catalina 25 has the double main sheet, mid boom. It allows a larger bimini to be placed further aft which provides more shade for the cockpit occupants. Here in Texas that is a good thing. Also, not having to move the traveler is one less thing to take care of in a tack or jib.  

my parents old Grampian used two mainsheets. The way the boat was designed with a transom hung rudder, there was no real way to mount a traveler. It worked very very well Travelers are older than you might think. If you look at some of the old working boats (and classic yachts) will find a bronze rod that traverses the stern. That was the "traveler" as the block would mount to that with a shackle and could freely move from one side of the vessel  

A couple boats back we had this. Not all that much spaghetti if you compare to a traveller with a control lines on either side. As has been mentioned, you can use the combination to put downward pressure on the boom, much like you would with a traveller and/or vang. You can control jibes. You have sort of a built in preventer at reasonable boom angles. And its really simple, not much can go wrong with it. We've got a double ended main (kinda the German system as described above) and a traveler now. Nice for single handing without stepping from the helm. Yea we like that better, but the simplicity and control of 2 main sheets is pretty good stuff IMHO.  

a traveler allows you to move the downward pull on the boom from centerline to off to the leeward side. This reduces healing (like letting out the sheet) but more importantly it keeps the boom pulled straight downward and thus keeps tension on the leach of the sail so the sail maintains its shape. A boom vang also does this, but a vang doesn't shift the downward pull of the boom to leeward (and reduce heeling). The lines that adjust how much the block on the travel can move port or starboard from center are called barber hauls. A non traveler boat doesn't have these 'high end' sailing adjustments. paul oman progressive epoxy polymers (and former sailing instructor!)  

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