How to Use a Winch Safely on a Sailboat: Wraps, Tailing, Riding Turns

To use a winch safely, put the sheet on clockwise from the bottom, take two or three wraps (more as load grows), and pull the slack in by hand before inserting the handle. Tail from behind the winch, keep fingers away from where the rope enters the drum, and always remove the handle when you finish. To ease under load, keep tension on the tail and use the flat of your hand on the wraps. Never uncleat a loaded rope without wraps on.

A sheet wrapped round a winch with the handle fitted — A loaded sheet on a winch. Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5.

Loading the winch

A two-column chart of winch safety dos and don'ts — Winch safety in ten points.

A winch drum with a sheet wrapped clockwise from the bottom, the load coming in low and the tail leading off the top to the self-tailer — Wrap clockwise, from the bottom up.

Check the rope comes onto the drum from below, at a slight upward angle. If it comes in from above it can cause a riding turn.
Wrap clockwise (almost all yacht winches turn clockwise viewed from above).
Take two wraps while the sail is light, adding a third or fourth as the load builds.
Pull in slack by hand first. Only use the handle once the sheet is too heavy to pull.
Lock it off in the self-tailer jaws or on a cleat.

Using the handle

Insert the handle fully and use the lock if it has one.
Wind in the high gear (normally the direction that turns easily) first, then switch to the low gear by winding the other way when it gets heavy.
Keep your body balanced and your head clear of the handle's swing.
Remove the handle after use. A handle left in can be hit by a sheet and fly off, or injure someone if the winch spins.

Easing under load

Keep firm tension on the tail and let the rope slip round the drum a little at a time. For more control, put the flat of your other hand on the wraps and ease them round. Never let go of a loaded tail, and never ease by taking wraps off.

Riding turns

A riding turn happens when the incoming rope traps a wrap under itself, jamming the winch. You cannot ease or wind in. Do not try to pull it free while loaded.

Clearing a riding turn.
Situation	What to do
Light load	Ease the sail by luffing up, then flick the wraps free
Heavy load	Tie a rolling hitch with another line on the loaded sheet ahead of the winch, take it to a spare winch, wind it tight, then clear the jammed wraps
Emergency	Cutting the sheet is a last resort

The rolling hitch is in essential sailing knots.

More technique in the sail handling lesson and the knots and ropework lesson.

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Frequently asked questions

Which way do you wrap a winch?

Clockwise, viewed from above, on almost every yacht winch. Start from the bottom of the drum so the rope rises as it winds.

How many wraps should go on a winch?

Two or three is typical. Use fewer for quick hand-tailing in light wind and more, up to four, for heavy loads or slippery rope.

What causes a riding turn on a winch?

The sheet coming onto the drum from above instead of below, or too many wraps, so the loaded rope rides up over the turns and jams.

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