Luff trim: How to thread the luff adjuster perfectly

Prospective medical students, pilots and air traffic controllers have to solve three-dimensional puzzles during entrance tests - in some cases this may make sense. But windsurfers just want to get out on the water as quickly as possible. However, it happens that after the laborious threading (of an unravelled tampon) the brain acrobatics at the end don't work out and you have to go back to the start. However, you can try to understand the reel geometry or simply follow the knitting patterns listed here.

All six threading variants in the video

If you are looking for the deeper meaning, thread backwards in your mind: because it is always clear where the rope must come out at the end of the sail to the cleat. It also helps to consider whether the rope runs "up and in" (i.e. visible from above and close to the mast) or "down and out" (i.e. on the underside and on the side away from the mast), as used here in the descriptions. Top" refers to the view of a sail lying on the ground, not always the "top" in the picture.

Less friction - trim down lower

Then the ropes run cleanly and nicely parallel, and this is not only good for nerds and people with a symmetry tick. With crossing ropes or extreme angles, not only does the friction increase noticeably, but the last few centimetres for trimming are actually wasted because the sail cannot be trimmed down "block to block".

The rare case: Both blocks "rotated"

It is probably the rarer case that both blocks deviate from the classic pattern as above. Only extensions with very sturdy stainless steel fittings allow a roller arrangement in which the roller axis protrudes from the extension rotated by 90 degrees - usually with only one option for the rope starting point.

Equal axles: The easy way

Ideally, the axes in the sail and on the extension should be parallel to each other. Then the only consideration is where the rope should run to the cleat at the end. Starting on the other side, the ropes are then always threaded in the same direction one after the other. With the classic pulley arrangement, the rope runs particularly "cleanly" if the cleat is close to the mast and the start of the rope is further out or vice versa.

Duotone "special" with classic roller block

Duotone solves the problem of two different roller blocks on sails in an elaborate and elegant way with numerous exit holes. However, the instructions on the extension are only suitable for short-sighted people. Depending on the roller block on the sail, you have to choose a different starting point on the extension.

Duotone "Special" with rotated roller block

With twisted fittings such as those from Naish, Severne or GunSails above, the rollers on the sail are used in sequence in combination with a Duotone extension. With additional outlets in the extension, a "loop option", in which only two pulleys are used on the sail and the rope can always remain in the clamp, can also be easily implemented for suitable sail fittings.

Against the order: classic extension - classic sail fitting (NeilPryde, Duotone etc.)

The main mistake with this frequently encountered variant is to simply use the pulleys in sequence. Well threaded, the rope first runs into the appropriate outer roller and then skips a roller at the extension so that the further path from the top to the outer roller on the sail runs properly. Always check that the rope continues from, for example, "inside/outside" to "inside/outside", and then accordingly at "top/bottom".

Off through the centre: classic pulley arrangement of the extension with ropes in the axis - classic sail fitting (NeilPryde, Duotone etc.)

Although the pulleys here are positioned away from the centreline as in the example above, the threading is still different. Because the rope practically starts "in the centre", the middle sail roller is also selected first. Here too, the rollers on the sail are not used in "sequence" as above.