Winch Handling Techniques

[@inixio11]

People do not take the time to explain the basics. They asume too much stuff. These explanations were very helpful...hand position, feet and body positions...nobody explains these things anymore. Thank you Sir.

[@BeckyBlanton]

Got it! Cookie pinch, winches wind clockwise, at least four loops on an active winch. Releasing a winch, grip coils to hold the pressure of the sail. Tacks: Sail must be held in position until bow/jib crosses path of wind. Control with left hand, release with right. Watching and watching!! Looking forward to actually DOING!

[@pierreturtle9574]

Great teaching pedagogy captain! It is really great to have you insisting on the key points with confidence. It really is a transfer of knowledge. Thanks for sharing. Take care

[@felawes]

Captain Tursi - your videos really are very useful. For the non-American they provide an excellent context against which to judge and learn other traditions, terminology, and customs. Greatly appreciated.

[@victor-charlesscafati]

There is a trick to deal with an overwrap without luffing the foresail, which is particularly useful when racing or single-handing. You start by freeing the end from the self-tailing winch, and unwind it counter clockwise as much as you can. Then you continue going counter-clockwise at least a half a wrap (but no more than one wrap) and string it across to your other winch, which you wrap on conventionally. When you start grinding on the second winch it easily pops the overwrap out, and the first side is free.

[@jamiehicks3533]

Perhaps the best tacking vid out there. Very nice. Thank you

[@jameseaton905]

Really well done video. I've been sailing 50 years nd I learned some details. I don't have higher priaise than that :)

[@rebeccabrocard5902]

Came from dinghy background to big boat racing, used your video to fill in the knowledge gap and now send to every new crew member. Cheers!

[@tomanderson384]

Great session! Cleared up a number of techniques that have been in the grey area for me. Thank you!

[@bathysphere1070]

Great video!!! I am at the point where I am starting to work my way up to more sophisticated sailboats with winches, and this really helps.

[@totherepublic358]

Thanks, I have sailed a boat without winches a lot but now am getting ready to sail a new boat that has them, this helps a lot and was exactly what I was looking for. Now I have to figure out how to do that single handed. Thank you.

[@mertpaksoylu4323]

This is the far the best instructor and the instruction video about sailing techniques . Thanks to instructor for giving examples over and over again . Hope you will post vids like these more :) Subscriber from Turkey .

[@carlsails58]

A great refresher for me after more years than I care to disclose. Cudos.

[@thomastuorto9929]

Excellent Vid! Thanks for putting up for all to view.

[@mindtag14]

This is so helpful! Last weekend I kept getting over wrap on the winch and could not figure out was I was doing wrong. I'm about to head out on the same J80 today and won't be making the same mistakes. Thanks!

[@Ms_Princess_Zelda]

Very helpful info. Cookie pinch 🤏 is something that I will never forget! New hobby for me and learning some basics before going to school!

[@joelbray8253]

Thanks friend, solid advice for me to try out next time I am on the water.

[@martinlipicnik6057]

Respectfully captain,thank you very much for your knowledge!

[@feastures]

Best explanation I've seen/heard.

[@mathewdavis-adventuresandd6643]

Thank you very much. While I've sailed many small catamarans and monohulls, none of them had winches. I didn't even know they could work in both directions, two speeds I assuming.

[@ericzimmermann9424]

These are great videos. Thank you.

[@don_fiore]

Excellent instructive video, thanks!

[@dancingrick9627]

I had an over wrap with my mainsail line, while sailing in heavy winds. Even when I luffed the mainsail it was nearly impossible to get the overwrap loose. Not a comfortable thing to happen while single handing. I learned a valuable lesson.

[@walkwithdezi]

Am I the only one who is concerned about how the thumb is placed while handling the ropes ?

[@carlwhite4400]

As always another great instructional video from MDS. I can't thank you guys enough. However, as good as this is, how about going over handling the jib sheets solo.

[@mdschoolofsailing]

+Carl White ... Well, I was handling both jib sheets in the video, so I guess you're asking about the helm. You need some way of controlling the helm during the tack. If you do not have auto pilot, then you need to be able to temporarily lock the helm when you throw it over for the tack. You must then be very agile to get to where you need to be for the jib sheets. It's hard to impossible to make a decent tack without helm control of some kind. At minimum, a light line strung transverse across the cockpit and attached to the wheel or tiller could serve this purpose. Many years ago I wrote a magazine article on how to do this for a tiller, which I'll post on our website. I'll post the URL here after it's up... Tom

[@mdschoolofsailing]

+Carl White ... You can download an article at www.mdschool.com/School%20Store/Tiller_Helper_1982.pdf that I wrote for Cruising World in (Yikes!!) 1982 that talks about a simple way of rigging your tiller boat for single handed sailing... Tom

[@tonywalker8250]

An excellent tutorial, thankyou.

[@MrLeventepeter1]

Excellent video thank you!

[@revisualize]

If you completely release an active wench the way that he describes at 4:12 you have a likelihood of getting your hand caught up in it. I know, I've done it by mistake. During the tack keep tension on the line (without your hand on the wench) just pull the line straight up off of the wench as the jib blows through the tack.

[@mdschoolofsailing]

+revisualize The problem with pulling the line straight up off the winch without left hand control, especially in stronger winds, is that the jib sheet develops too much slack and it flogs, whips and tangles and can be a hand-hazard to the crew handling the winch. We had 15 to 18 knots of wind when this video was shot, and you notice very little flogging of the jib sheet since it remained under control during the release. Thanks for your comment... MDS

[@henrycagle7827]

+Maryland School of Sailing Thats right reduce flogging in a safe way. Watch your fingers and thumbs.Its a experience you won't forget soon if you get it caught. On rocky seas i prefer to have a good stance or footing i use 3 wraps with thicker on harken winches and click the handle on before feeding the line and use two hand pull so the time is much faster and trim is easier achieved before the boat can lose any speed or momentum. 5 wraps shown here is way over kill, more work imagine doing his work on a day sail i would be exhausted. But 3 wraps you have to be precise on the wraps. I use leather gloves some or most of the times. Like batting gloves. They save your hands. cheers Salty Seaman.

[@afrock1000]

Reef knot

[@sami2177]

Thanks . I can't thank you guys enough

[@hygeia2536]

Cookie pinch is my new favorite phrase!

[@billroberts9182]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@kidpoker1000]

Thank YOU... Make more.. I want to Learn

[@sebster3gmail]

Thank you, good video and fun to watch.

[@aktirolfieprodukti]

WOW! This was very good, tanks,

[@mattnoell1968]

Awesome! Thank you again. M. ;)

[@wakeboardbob]

Now if we could only get more "Crew" to watch this ;-)

[@dannymacdonald-northeastco2784]

I love that boat...what is it

[@abdulkkhan5095]

Great Tutorial -; Thnx Tom Tursi

[@grahamsadventures]

Thank you, very useful to me. 👍

[@antoniodeassis604]

thank you Sr.Super helpful video

[@richard21995]

Very useful video, thanks.

[@notwhatiwasraised2b]

You're not a sailor until you get fingers or hands caught in tensioned lines... watch you left hand at 10:20 Mr Cookie Grip

[@malefunctionable]

Very useful video. Thank you :)

[@born2bro84]

Awesome work. Where are your gloves though??

[@tungusbadungusdepardeux4757]

You don’t get sailor hands by using gloves

[@mikehoncho2640]

Lmao never ever wear gloves! If the glove gets stuck it could rip your skin or even your hand appart.

[@traveltoonsbymp]

Thank you, very helpful!

[@Tonycoelho123]

Thanks for the tips!

[@oblazeo]

Good Video. Thank you.

[@premolebkowsky]

PERFECT EXAMPLE if you dont need fingers :D

[@Mikinct]

What happens when you are turning the winch counter clockwise? I thought you first stated that all winches no matter where on boat turn clockwise. I’m new to sailboats

[@andrewafrican]

The barrel of the winch always turns clockwise regardless of the direction of the winch handle rotation. The winch has a gearbox. When you crank the winch handle in one direction the barrel turns quickly but with more effort from your arms. When you winch the other direction the barrel turns easily but slower. Use the high gear direction when you start to winch the sail. Charge to the low gear direction when you start to struggle with the sail pressure. The method of handling the coils shown in this video is most important of all. The method is necessary to avoid pulling your hand or fingers into the winch where it or they can be crushed or even pinched off.

[@Mikinct]

DruskyZA much appreciated!

[@PetervanGinneken]

@@andrewafrican Actually winches can turn both ways, its just a matter if rearanging the pals inside. On my boat the starboard winch turns counterclockwise.

[@andrewafrican]

Very interesting!

[@johncrock1489]

I was just able to explain this to my wife and now she can keep her fingers out of the hazard zone. Thanks for making it easy to understand. 😊

[@Pasovineyard]

Good instruction.

[@michaellorke1980]

what kind of boat is this actually? looks very nice for a small crew. nice video

[@saltMagic]

island packet

[@ThompsonBMXbikes]

Yesterday I pinched a finger while adding the third wrap on the winch because there was so much tension. Did I wait too late to add that last wrap?

[@randyleake2073]

Thank you

[@rosemaryvergara314]

Thank you!!

[@dealcandu4226]

Thank you!!!👍

[@jacklevi7798]

Great video thank you!

[@toddb930]

Were they only using the Jib for propulsion?

[@andybelieves]

Thank you for your help

[@richard21995]

Are your knee protectors purpose made for sailing ?

[@mdschoolofsailing]

Yes, by Gill. Musto also makes them... T

[@haraldweidlich2013]

I preffer the spinlock ones. Fit my knees best. Again tested at 50th anniversery of BARCOLANA last weekend. 269ß boats on one starting line app. 2 nm long ;-) Harald

[@leomartin2078]

Nice man, thank you!!!

[@tWoforgamenot1]

cool .

[@leventpesteli3829]

👍👍👍

[@jaceksimon6427]

I'm surprised you can still order 5 beers in the tavern. You did everything to get your fingers cut off. You didn't show a good technique for putting the rope on the winch or taking it off.

[@stevenhs8821]

Why you should always start out on a dinghy. So much fewer complications.

[@ar2rtg491]

DOBRY FILMIK

[@fiddlesticksbessette398]

''This Is Not for Beginer's,If You Havent Sail'ed,At Least For 1 Year.. If,' you Know What Tack'ing Is..If you Know what A Jib Is,UGH..Why don't you Say,''For People Who Don't Know What This Is,Or That Is,''Explain That,Before you Tell Them How to Solve A Problem..This Is Above Beginer's Lesson's..Thank You,And Fair wind's..

[@hygeia2536]

FiddleStick's bessette Wrong,this is basic info which is helpful to all sailors.

[@mikeobrien9829]

FiddleStick's bessette; I don't see anywhere that this a beginners tutorial.

[@richard21995]

Absolutely agree, some people are never happy.

[@Blastfence1]

Why don’t you have a life jacket on when you are out to sea 🌊