Adjustable trapeze assembly

In sailing, the trapeze is a wire that comes from a point high on the mast, usually where the shrouds are fixed, to a hook on the crew member’s harness at approximately waist level. The position when extended on the trapeze is outside the hull, braced against it (or an extension of it outwards) with the soles of the feet, facing the masthead, and clipped on by a hook on the trapeze harness. This gives the crew member more leverage to keep the boat flat by allowing the crew member’s centre of gravity to balance the force of the wind in the sails.

An additional benefit is the ability to “walk” along the gunwale to balance the boat’s trim fore and aft. This is necessary to prevent racing catamarans such as the Tornado from digging the bow into the water, also called pitchpoling, and causing a nosedive and often a spectacular capsize.

Boats may have only one trapeze, such as the 420, where only the crew uses the trapeze. Dinghies, such as the International 14 and the 49er, may have trapeze wires for both the skipper and the crew. The trapeze has several colloquial names such as “the wire” or simply “the trap”.

When a boat loses power in its sails, and heels to the windward side, the crew on the trapeze may get dipped in the water if they do not react in time.

Some classes allow footloops on the gunwale to allow those on the trapeze to locate their feet with relative security. This helps to prevent the crew from swinging forward, sometimes round the forestay when the boat decelerates suddenly.

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