IOM Ranking 2006

Three items caught my attention at the UK IOM Ranking events at Eastbourne 7 & 8 October 2006. Dave Potter's "Lintel" was going well, and Dave drew my attention to his beautifully machined adjustable gooseneck. The screw adjusts the tilt of the gooseneck axis to set the amount that the mainsail leech opens or closes on the run.

John Tushingham's "Lintel" was also sailing well, and John showed us his adjustable headboard. Turning the screw moves the mainsail head fore or aft independently of the backstay and mast bend. So if you want to twist the head of the sail off without bending the mast any more, then this will do the job very effectively.

Graham Bantock's Topiko showed an interesting Cunningham / downhaul arrangement. The idea is to allow the foot of the sail to move around the mast as freely as possible as the boom sheets out. The downhaul goes through two offset holes in a ring just above the gooseneck and the line is then fixed to the boom with a bowsie for tension adjustment. The offset holes form such a long diagonal, and are offset in such a way, that indeed the sail luff moves easily around the mast as the boom sheets out.