Yes, I'm doing a survey. Just to lay my cards on the table, I now work for Dutchman, who manufactures a sail flaking system that most of you are familiar with. We also have two other products, mast track systems and boom brakes.

I was at the Annapolis boat show primarily to demonstrate the sail flaking system, but I brought along a supply of boom brakes. We don't have a display for them, and yeah, I know it's tacky, but I tied a few off the umbrella over our podium so people could see them. Many people passing by stopped and asked what they were, and I explained how the brake worked and demonstrated the little brake we have on our sail flaking display to keep it from whacking customers when the wind shifts. There seemed to be a lot of interest, and we sold all the brakes we brought and took orders for many more.

To be honest, I've been sailing for 40 years and never really thought about a brake, even on Lake Champlain, where I spent half my time sailing dead downwind. After joining Dutchman and seeing how effectively brakes work, and listening to story after horror story of crash jibes, I can't imagine sailing without one.

For anyone who doesn't know, there are several brake designs on the market. The idea is to attach a friction device to the boom to slow it down when jibing. Most of us know someone who was hurt (or worse) or gear that was broken when jibing, especially when it happens unintentionally in a good breeze. One customer who bought a brake did so after breaking his $20,000 Leisure Furl after a crash jibe.

It takes some time and effort to install a brake correctly. Most install just aft of the vang. Control lines are run from somewhere around the aft most chainplate, up through the brake, down to a turning block on the other chainplate, and then aft to the cockpit. There, the line runs either to a block and tackle or through a stopper to a winch where the line can be tensioned. This provides the necessary friction and braking action, and adjustment for varying wind and wave conditions.

To be clear, I'm not here to hawk merchandise, but to gauge interest for a potential marketing plan. I'm guessing that only a very small percent of boats have brakes, and those who don't either don't know they even exist or haven't given it any thought.