Sail numbers

[Seadog17]

First yacht, (2/H) and got to thinking about sail numbers.

Present sail has one number but an old picture of the boat shows a different number.

Just wondered

 

[onesea]

First yacht, (2/H) and got to thinking about sail numbers.

Present sail has one number but an old picture of the boat shows a different number.

Just wondered

It happens, for many reasons but its far from unique. Some boats have them engraved into them or on a plack.

I am sure some one will come and tell you why and how it happens, second hand or borrowed sails comes to mind.

 

[HinewaisMan]

Went racing for the first time with a friend as few weeks back.

Working the spinnaker for him on a long downwind leg, I noticed the number on the spinny was, say, 1245 – whereas the one on the main was, say, 1254.

When I queried this, the air went blue. Not so much that the sails were two years old and he’s never noticed, but more that he couldn’t remember for the life of him what the number should be.

 

[VicS]

Many boats have a sail insignia that identifies the make/class model and a number allocated by the original builders ( kit suppliers even) or owners, or class, associations.
The half compass rose .. the western half... and one or two letters that forms the Westerly sail emblem must be one of the most common around the UK coast.

Other bodies, such as the RYA and the RORC, also allocate sail numbers in particular , but not exclusively, for racing. The numbers you see beginning with GBR are such numbers. The GBR series is the current series. Other prefixes have been used in the past.

By and large sail numbers are allocated to the boat and when sold the issuing authority should be advised of the change of ownership. There are also numbers, however, that are allocated to an individual and are not transferred with the boat when sold.