Top Tip – Mainsheet Management
Kirk Marcolina
Last week a member asked for tips on avoiding mainsheet mayhem. Thanks to our Champion Martin White who has come through with these ideas:
No rope is perfect, but selecting the right rope and giving it the right care helps.
A) The right rope: I use Rooster Polilite 7mm (blue coloured). For myself, and most Masters sailors, the Polilite 6mm (yellow) is only good for less than 10knots only - you'd need great grip strength to play it effectively in medium to strong breezes. Don't simply copy the full time young Laser professionals who sail every day - they usually use the 6mm.
Rooster mainsheet rope is designed with a load bearing heavier outer to reduce the problems of twist. There is plenty written about this online. It's made of polypropylene which is light and absorbs little water.
B) Care: With the mainsheet tied off in the boat, take it for a walk before sailing. This purpose is to stretch out the twists. Mainsheets appear to have 'memory'. After sailing, some people run the mainsheet up to the bow then back to the stern and up again so it's put away without a lot of twists.
Also, many people buy a fresh mainsheet ahead of major regattas.
Our Commodore also chimed in with these tips:
Before you rig your boat, stretch the entire length of the sheet out under tension and then release it completely to remove any twists. Repeat this a few times
Be careful not to introduce any twists while rigging
Tie the tail end to the rear of the footstrap ropes
Be alert after each tack as to any twists or knots that look menacing and deal with them IMMEDIATELY! Don’t wait for a potential knot to become an actual knot
Perform witchcraft to cast out the sheet rope demons
Hope these tips help solve your mainsheet mayhem.