Over the last decade, sailcloth weaving equipment has evolved and allowed the production of low crimp warp oriented woven cloth of medium to heavy weights. We have had light weight warp wovens of 200g/m2 (4oz) or lighter for much longer than that, but the finer denier weaves of light sailcloth allowed that with older looms and setups.
Last issue we covered types of headsail UV protective covers. All of these covers can be made of many different cover cloths, and I will give you the low down on how to choose what material is best for your application.
Did I ever mention how much I like headsail furling? I’ve been club racing our 30’ cruising boat lately, and it has been easily the equal to two more crew members on board. When you are double handing with a now 14 year old, with a spinnaker (Asymmetric in a Sock), the headsail furling is the only thing that keeps us from sailing off the course to handle sails.
At the start of the season, many boat owners tend to do some things the hard way. Here are some tips to get you sailing in less time, and with better outcomes. Furling Lines – Furling system rope that squishes flat, tends to bury itself in the spooled up drum if you are sailing reefed.
French multinational Michelin has announced its Wing Sail Mobility project (WISAMO) solution – an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing that can be fitted on all types of vessels, including cargo ships and pleasure craft.
Every boat with a jib attached to a stay has headstay sag. If every boat has it, what does it do, and how do you control it.
Its first featured product line is the TeamO Marine Inflatable PFDs from the UK, equipped with a potential life saving technology called BackTow. Currently TeamO Inflatable PFDs are the only products in the world that has this ground-breaking technology, and the primary reason why Indie Marine has brought them to the Canadian boating and sailing community.
She never imagined herself on a sailboat, much less in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. “… a wave breaks right over us with a mighty crash. The boat shudders sickeningly, then is still for a moment, and water pours out through the scuppers. Then it all starts again…
Everyone is always talking about mast bend; what is it, and what does it do? There are two types of mast bend. Fore and aft bend, and sideways bend. Sideways bend, in the below photo, is the least common type of bend that sailors talk about, unless they are in some particular racing classes where it can help tune the sails.
Everyone who is ordering a new Asymmetric Spinnaker always ask about how they should handle it. What are the available methods these days? Nothing, Retrieval Lines, Snuffers, Bottom Up Furling, Top Down Furling, Luff Loaded Top Down Furling.
On Port Credit YC’s regular Online Wednesday night speaker series, Morten Fogh and Cam Copeland from Fogh Marine shared some of the secrets from the Geek World of Ropes. Not to be selfish, I thought I would share some of their knowledge with you.
Modern asymmetric spinnakers are likely the sail with the most different available versions to choose from, and this makes them a bit confusing for most sailors. Let’s start with the names of the different asymmetric spinnakers.
This month I will discuss some tactical reasons for wanting to be able to roller furl or reef the headsail. Most modern furling systems are so reliable and easy to use, that you can furl or unfurl the headsail in seconds.
Many of my club and distance racing customers show up at the loft asking for a full-hoist, deck-tacked genoa to fit on their headsail furler, but bypass the drum to get the clew low. I always ask; “Does the furling not work?”. “No it works, but the last sail we had cut for furling didn’t point very well and the UV cover on the sail was really heavy.”
Many of my customers show up at the loft complaining that their main doesn’t hoist or douse very well. Here is my checklist for an easy hoisting mainsail…
PENSACOLA. FLORIDA (USA) – The owner of a Roberts DS440 credits his Manson Supreme Anchor with keeping his steel sailboat seaworthy when Category 2 Hurricane Sally struck the Florida panhandle on September 16.
