Brake Vang!

[Brion Toss]

Hi again,
I am sorry if I seemed vehement, but I have seen similar -- very similar -- setups, if on a larger scale, injure and kill people. One of those times was when a block similar to those micro blocks hit somebody in the head (vectors). You might not have thought you were recommending things, but you did urge us to "Rig one up and play with it. You will be amazed at the difference it makes for controlled downwind sailing." Also, it is precisely your credentials that might lead someone to apply your ideas badly. And unfortunately your credentials do not make the turnbuckle foul lead go away, nor the added load and lack of redundancy at the vang connection. And don't get me started on using the word "maybe" to describe a max load. And so on.
I was sincere in saying that I admire your innovative spirit. Perhaps a strong qualifier might precede contributions like this, including component loads and failure consequences.
Fair leads (fair winds are too much to hope for),
Brion Toss