Cunningham – Definition and Pronunciation
What is Cunningham?
Cunningham is a line used to adjust the tension on the luff of a mainsail or jib.
Examples of Cunningham
Another way to flatten the mainsail is by using a cunningham. You may notice an extra grommet near the tack of the mainsail but a little farther from the edge of the sail. That’s the cunningham. It’s usually adjusted with a line running through it and back down to the deck. It can be thought of as a sail flattener, though it really alters the draft of the sail by moving it forward.
From “Getting Underway and Sailing on the Sailboat”.
Sails offered by some builders and dealers in “sail away” packages may be generic sails from a large discount loft. Construction often matches the price: cheap material; less attention to reinforcement panels and chafe protection; very little handwork; reduced sail area because of a small or nonexistent mainsail roach or a short hoist or foot; and failure to include reef points, cunninghams, or leach lines.
From “Self-Survey Criteria for the Rig”.
Kwon and Cunningham coupled an explicit finite element analysis code, DYNA3D, and a boundary element code based on Doubly Asymptotic Approximation (DAA), Underwater Shock Analysis (USA).
From “Underwater Shock, Effects and Risks for Hydrocarbon Carrying Ships”.
Pronunciation of Cunningham
