What to call this twing. downhauler, jib sheet lead?
 

I need help with what to call a control line I have.

I have a line that pulls down on the jib sheet for use when sailing off the wind, used instead of moving the jib lead car forward. I also have inhaulers (some people call them Barberhaulers) for moving the jib sheet inboard when sailing on the wind under certain conditions.

I have been struggling with what to call this line. I don't want to use Barberhauler as many people use that to refer to the inhauler so that could be confusing. We have been using jib downhaul but that really should refer to something completely different. Twing has come up and seems to be used by a few people although in general refers to such a line for a spinnaker. Other possibilities are jib sheet downhaul, jib leader, downhauler (thus in the same family as inhauler our outhauler), jib sheet lead, and others.

The actual implementation is a spectra line terminated on a forward car that goes through a 0.8 oz REI carabiner that clips to the jib sheet when needed. That line goes back through the forward track car and back a few feet where it terminates in an eye splice so that a poly line can be clipped to it when needed and taken to a cockpit winch. The small spectra lines don't produce clutter when not in use and the carabiner can be removed from the sheet when on the wind.

What I am looking for is what to call this control that is unambiguous and in keeping with what proper terminology if there is such.

The generic term is "lizard".

G'luck

Another possibility I just saw. Bill Gladstone in Chapter 5 of Performance Racing calls it a "choker"

I found this definition of lizard.
Lizard: A bight of a small line pointed on a large one. As you say, it is generic. Is there a more application specific term?

I call mine 'jib clew downhaul', since I use it to haul down the clew of my jib. I haven't seen it used by anyone but me before now, but I find it quite handy.
Ben

That is very interesting. I have been calling it the jib sheet downhaul for similar reasons but wanted a single name. There are others who use it. TP-52s us such a setup exclusively but since it is exclusive, they probably just call it the fairlead. I have three candidates at this point:

1) Lizard, which is a term going back to the 1800s but is more general in meaning
2) Choker, from Gladstone
3) Twing, from spinnaker land

I don't have a favorite but hope to settle on one before next season. It is certainly easier to use these than it is to move a jib car under load.

Allen

Hi Allen,

I vote for 'Twing', since that's more or less the noise mine makes when I accidentally let go of it before properly making fast. Who vounteers for the Wikipedia entry?

Does "twing" have a meaning as in where did the name come from? I see it is what you use to hold down cargo in a space ship but that is all I could fine. I was told by a friend who first suggested it as the name for this jib sheet downhaul that it was adapted from a non sailing term. There is a tent called Twing but I think that stands for T-Wing as they also have an F-Wing.

Brion,

Do you care to chime in on what this line is called in this application, the jibsheet downhaul, twing, choker, lizard line?

Allen

I am going with Twing. I wrote the concept up here: http://l-36.com/twing.php

The idea is to go from the yellow sail to the green sail in the sketch below without moving the jib car by using a twing


Allen