More sheet winches

After getting myself in a tangle when trying to run downwind with a preventer and poled out genoa on my last boat I thought it would be worth looking into twin winch options. As Louisa has an inner fore stay the option of a cutter or slutter rig also seems worth having a go at. So I have bought a couple of twin speed Girdlestone 23 winches cheap off ebay. They are the forerunner of Barton's composite 23's. If I can position them to allow decent sheet leads and improve the winch handle positioning I might improve matters in a number of ways.

New winches installed and tested. 

 

The new winches have full handle swing so sheeting in is much faster. Because they are further forward there are harbour blocks to lead the sheets appropriately. So far so good but not much wind to test them against.