Importance

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Abstract

A power or manually operated winch mechanism for handling the running rigging lines of a sailing yacht. The winch includes a winding drum, operating in conjunction with a level wind mechanism. A special, manually operated line release clutch allows controlled release of line independently of the power or manual drive mechanisms of the winch, providing for quick release under emergency conditions as well as for a convenient, manually controlled release for sail control purposes. During line release by power or manual rotation of the winding drum, the line is tensioned by the level wind mechanism and thus positively drawn from the unwinding winch drum The arrangement enables lines to be automatically released from one winch and retrieved on a second winch, under a common control, as when tacking or resetting sails, without any physical line handling by crew members, with resulting improvement in the safety and convenience of the crew.

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First Claim