Instead of running the jib sheets down the tramp.... Suck them into the front beam on bungies like you do for the downhaul. Cleans up the tramp a lot and puts the sheet where you want it.....
I actually done that first but found quickly enough that that was not the way I want it on the Taipan F16. There are a few reasons for this.
-1- I hardly adjust the selftacking jib when going upwind. I found it to be far more efficient to have the crew work the mainsheet continiously while the skipper just steers and trims the maintraveller when needed. You must be aware thatr on a Taipan you can only go as far forward as the mainbeam when you are on a upwind leg !
-2- On a reach, where you do want to adjust the jib regulary, you can not go near the mainbeam when trapezing. The boat will go bow down and the skipper has to dump the main, thus slowing down the boat, in order to have the crew grap the jib sheet there. Also I found it even more advantagious on a reach to have the crew work the main then have the crew adjust the jib. More often then not the crew is doing the main while the skipper is doing the jib.
-3- Under spinnaker, the crew has his hands full on the spinnaker and can't really spare a hand for the jib. The skipper however has a hand free but is way behind the mainbeam, he can't reach that far.
-4- With the mainbeam setup if is difficult to have a continious jib sheet line, while in my setup you can have a continious jib sheet line. This means that no matter how often I tighten the jib on one tack and release it on the other I will never run out of sheet.
I'm finding that things that work on the tornado's, like this mainbeam jib sheet setup and the spinnaker halyard cleat on the mast are not always working as well on the F16's. I put this down to the fact that the Tornado has :
- longer hulls = more fore-aft stability
- larger jib in relation the the mainsail. = F16 jibs are less important in the bigger picture
- is always sailed doublehanded (try to operate that mast based spi halyard cleat when singlehanding !)
- Role seperation is different with most racing tornado crews (skipper is far more reserved for tactical role) and alot of tornado sailors (and F18 sailor) just copy the setup that the current champion has.
The setup that I have drawn, and that was tested after the mainbeam beam setup, has the advantages that it is very easy for the skipper to grap the jib sheet and do some fine adjustment when the crew is pumping the main sheet or a spinnaker sheet. It also has the advantage that in a blow you don't need to go forward and you can stay at the rear keeping the boat under full power. I personally really favour this setup over that wth the mainbeam.
Wouter
