The Winch

This is one of the big winches on the clipper.
It is used for putting tension on different stays (like the forestay, or the stay for locking the bowsprit) and halyards.
It works on quite a clever way. With the handles you can determine which one of the stays or halyards can be adjusted. Especially during the races the right tension is one of the essential details for getting the optimum result from the Yankee and the Jib. They are the main drivers for the mainsail. They provide the right under- and top pressure on the mainsail, in the same way it works on a wing from an aircraft. This generates a force, resulting in a forward movement of the ship.