Using the Boom Vang: Advanced Sailing Video Lessons

Video Transcript

" The boom vang is another piece of equipment that sailors often overlook. It is not just there to get in your way. Often times just a little bit of vang tension can help change the center of effort on a sail and make what was a nice sail into much more efficient and pleasant sail. The vang runs usually attached to the boom via a pulley, or block, and travel down to a bail attached to the foot of the mass. During a particularly choppy ride, or when there are occasional gusts, especially going down wind, you might put just enough tension on the vang to keep the boom from skying, which can be really disconcerting, and sometimes result in a sudden auto jibe: something you don't want to do. With the vang power is essential but you don't want to over power your vang. You can actually bend your boom if you are not careful. You want to have enough purchase to be able to handle the boom in heavy air with relative ease. A good tug ought to do everything you need. The purchase through the block is what going to provide that, so the more turns you got the greater number of pulleys, the more purchase you going to have."