Trapeze Harness (Rick Perkins/Ian Renilson)

All good pimps should have somthing special hanging from the crotch ...

This mod has been developed to attach the mainsheet tail to the harness.

Mode Requires:

- Lewmar Nab Shackle

Top Pic is Rick's Harness

Lower Pic is Ian's Harness

Instructions from Ian:

I use a clip on my harness so that I can control the main from the wire whilst going downwind without leaning in and I don't have to worry about it through the gybe.

I don't know how people manage without a clip - they must be much cleverer than me. But no matter how clever they are I'm sure they would find a good clip to be very beneficial with only a couple of very minor drawbacks – so why wouldn’t you use one?

I've tried several clip arrangements and the best I've come up with is a modified Lewmar Nab Shackle attached to the crotch of my harness.

The clip is prevented from twisting so that if I always put the mainsheet into the clip the same way then I know which side to grab (ie the side going to the cleat rather than the take-away).

The clip is fitted on my harness below the trap hook so that it does not get catch when I hook-on.

The clip is held firmly so that it can pivot but not twist - that way I can clip & unclip the sheet with one hand - the only time I do this during sailing is when I capsize.

I take a Lewmar Nab Shackle and cut off most of the eye at the end then drill across the remaining legs of the eye to produce two small holes - which I then use to attach it to my harness with thin rope. See attached pics.

When you are using a clip is important that your mainsheet take-away is near the base of the mainsheet tower, rather than at the back of the boat - or you will trip up on the mainsheet.

I think the only down-sides of a good clip are:
1. It takes a little practice to prevent getting caught up in the mainsheet - mostly during tacks.
2. Very occasionally you still get caught up in it.
3. When you capsize & recover it's something else to do (that’s the only significant drawback, but it saves so many capsizes……).

The benefits are numerous - basically it makes sailing much easier - more reliable - and you can do things that you can’t do without a clip so it is faster around the racecourse too ...

Rick adds ... I echo Ian's comments. I have mine on elastic to give a git of give should I stand on the tail of the mainsheet or capsize. The downside of that is that it needs two hands to release the mainsheet during a capsize - another incentive not to do it ...

Verdict: PIMPED

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