It seems that there are a couple of schools of thought…. It depends….
Some never use a winch handle preferring to just strong arm it and use the winch as a brake of sorts. No handle, no problem.
Some of those who are seeming to try and push every bit of speed out of their sailing experience use one to two winch handles as there tends to be a lot of strain on the lines when the wind is up and keeping sail shape is important. The winch handles tend to stay locked into the winches while sailing or racing.
Some just occasionally use a winch handle on a sporadic need basis. They tend to have a pocket or cup to sore the handle in the cockpit or companionway entrance.
So it depends… on what type of sailing you do and how strong you are that day….
