Traveler (sailing)

Traveler of a modern yacht. The thin black line is used to move the sled sideways by means of a tackle , the raised yellow-black line is the main sheet .

The traveler ( dt. Trolley ) is a movable mooring point of the main sheet on sailing ships and is for the optimum sail trim . In principle, the Traveler is a running sledge that can usually be moved to windward or leeward with the help of a line and shifts the pick-up point of the main sheet accordingly.

By changing the haul point , the angle of attack of the sheet on the boom and thus the shape of the sail is influenced. The further the Traveler is driven to windward, the more the leech of the sail can open (more twist) and the sail can become more bulbous (rounder) overall.

In light winds can the traveler to windward move to higher the wind to go. During gusts or in strong winds, the Traveler can be shifted to leeward to reduce the heeling and windwardness of the boat.