Patent ID: 7594640

Claim:
A winch for a sailing yacht having multiple lines of running rigging, which comprises (a) a support structure adapted to be fixed to the yacht, (b) a primary shaft mounted in said support structure for controllable rotation, (c) means for controllably rotating said primary shaft, (d) a plurality of winding drums mounted on said primary shaft in axially adjacent relation for winding and storing said lines, said winding drums being adapted for rotation independently of other winding drums and independently of said primary shaft, (e) a drum-engaging drive element for each of said winding drums recessed in said shaft and surrounded and confined by portions of said winding drums, (f) said drum-engaging drive elements being controllably movable radially into engagement with said winding drums to provide driving engagement between said shaft and said winding drums, and (g) selector means for selectively radially displacing individual ones of drum-engaging drive elements for engaging selected winding drums for rotation with said primary shaft.