Runners
Hello,
I prefer taking the line to a winch whenever possible, as block-and-tackle simply cannot apply sufficient tension to the forestay, and besides, taking up and overhauling is a bother. At our shop, we usually use covered HM rope, and strip the tail out for the last couple of fathoms or so. The uncovered tail is inserted in a length of Regatta Braid, sufficiently far that the HM inside is multiple times around the winch before the load comes on. The Regatta Braid is long enough to take the runner right forward, yet still have an end in the cockpit. There are some tricks to getting this right, but that's the broad outline.
We have found that winches don't tend to get tied up; if you are sailing with Jib and forestays'l, it's more than likely to be in conditions that don't require runners at all, so there'll be minimal choreography scenarios. And of course in heavy weather, the Genoa will be furled, leaving both winches free. Nonetheless, it's best if there are primary and secondary winches available in the cockpit.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss
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