Yachting Monthly Letters November 2018 :-

Snuffer downhaul

Duncan Wells’ article on ‘Mastering downwind sailing’ shows the cruising chute snuffer being pulled down by the crew using the downhaul directly to the snuffer collar. While this is fine in this case, may I suggest that on bigger yachts with larger, more powerful sails, the downhaul should be passed through a snatch block on the foredeck so that the crew is pulling themselves onto the deck and not into the air and off the deck. It is also possible to exert much more tension onto the snuffing line which is often helpful.

Nick Mines