When the A18 Mast Cleats Catch the Sheets

Efficient jib sheet handling is vital for maintaining boat speed and pointing ability through a tack. A well-executed tack minimizes the amount of time the boat is pointing directly into the wind and losing speed.

Well that’s easy to say but it’s happened to us all on A18s! You’ve just executed what you thought was the perfect tack and see that the new working sheet got wrapped around one of the halyard cleats on the mast. Now you have to struggle against the pressure that is on the jib to release it before you can correctly tension it and get going again.

To prevent this from happening, timing is key. The release of the old sheet and the hauling in of the new sheet need to be coordinated with the boat’s turn. Ideally, the old sheet is fully released just as the boat passes through head-to-wind, while the new sheet is being pulled in to catch the wind on the other side.

Practice Makes Perfect

Like any sailing maneuver, efficiently tacking and handling the jib-sheets takes practice for the crew to develop the right timing and coordination. With good communication with the helm, and smooth and controlled movements you’ll get to a place where snagging the jib sheets like this is a rare occurrence.

In the Meantime

Rig the boat in a way that minimizes the possibility of this type of snag! Different people have different ideas on how to do this. Here’s one way that allows you to re-purpose a fisherman’s gravel guard to cover the “jaws” of the horn cleat.