| RI-02-01 TRAVELLER STROPS (2002-02-12) |
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| Q1: | An owner has experienced difficulty with the traveler car getting jammed and believes that jamming would be avoided if a strop were installed between the car and the block. Is it permissible to add such a strop? |
| A1: | No. Rule 1.3 states that “no modifications or alterations are permitted unless explicitly permitted by these rules.” The Technical Committee does not believe that this modification is necessary or desirable. The Committee is also concerned about the potential that self-made strops break and injure crew members. On all boats, jamming of the car can occur if the swivel base is permitted to rotate beyond a 180 degree arc so that the base can hit the car, for example in a jibe. Jamming is not related to the block that attaches to the top of the car. One has to make sure that the stoppers in the swivel base are adjusted so that the swivel base can only rotate over a 180 degree arc. If an owner feels the need to bring the block up higher above the car, the owner may install a long “D” shackle to attach the block to the car. For example, Wichard # 1414 should fit the car. |