Wichard Opening Prefeeder

Second best thing since sliced bread!! On boats with a foil rather than hanks, seems like a little thing, but is brilliant … elegant and simple, providing greater flexibility.
Most of the time it' just avoids needing to drop the head out of the track to re-feed it through both the prefeeder and back into the track, when dropping the jib,. Instead just drop the jib but keep the head in the foil, then close prefeeder on the bolt bolt rope below. Saves time on the foredeck and co-ordination taking up on the halyard to keep head in the foil. So that’s the plus the majority of the time, but other benefit is the flexibility to just open and release the sail on those occasions that should never happen, but somehow occasionally seem to, where a non-opening prefeeder is half way up the bolt rope ….. aborted hoist or whatever.