Stowing a roller genoa

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chas

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As I have just converted from hanked foresails to a roller genny, I have looked around to see how peole stow them. Some leave a little triangle of sail out and some take a couple of turns of the sheets round the sail. Are there any advantages to either method? Is there a correct way to stow the sail?

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I roll a couple of turns of the sheets around the sail. What you don't want is for any part of the sail to catch the wind in the next gale and unfurl itself! Make sure the reefing line and the sheets are well secured.

I understand that if the sail unfurls and your boat then manages to sail off the mooring, the insurance company may say that you left your boat with the sails set and your insurance is invalid. Anybody else know if this is true?

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You will probably find that those leaving a small triangle out have insufficient turns on the drum to roll it away completely, which should be corrected. None of the sail should be left out so as to reduce windage and flogging. I usually put a sail tie around the furled sail when I've finished with it to prevent it unrolling if the reefing line should be released inadvertantly, especially when moored. If you are leaving the boat for any length of time, removing the sail completely and stowing it will prolong it's life.

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I also furl the genny sheets around the foil about twice and follow up with a sail tie,I was watching a boat on one of our club mooring when the jib came partly unfurled in quite a blow and by the time we got across to it (about 20 mins) the sail was shredded.
Pete


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All the sail should be rolled away plus a couple of turns of the sheets to secure it. What you may have seen are boats with their genoas taken off when not in use where a small triangle of sail cloth is hoisted in the luff groove, attached to a line secured to somewhere around the base of the mast, to stop the forestay vibrating. This was the system used on a racing boat I crewed on where the sails were stowed below between races.

<hr width=100% size=1>Steve Marsh
Hunter 27 OOD "Ruff-n-Tumble"
Gosport
 
In November we went to the boat in Pwllheli, you remember the weekend when the cutter race was postponed from leaving Liverpool because of the force 11 winds coming across northern England.

When we got to Pwllheli we were at the tail end of the storm, and I saw at least 15 boats who had lost their genoas because the wind had dragged them off the furlers, I made some observations

(1) Always tie off your furler line (from the drum) adequately, you do not want this unrolling.

(2) Always have about 2 to 3 turns of jib sheet around the sail.

(3) DO NOT have these turns to tight or too close together, let them run down maybe over 15 inches. I saw two boats who had tight turns of rope midway up the sail, the genoa had flogged and torn clean above and below the tight turns.

(4) In winter take the genoa off the reefer, especially if leaving the boat for a while.

The worst part of what I saw was skippers on the shore waiting to get to their boats to stop further damage, I was lucky this time.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue> Julian </font color=blue>

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I go with this - the small triangle of sail will only have UV strip on one side so in effect you are exposing t'other to the degrading effects of UV - right where you don't need it!
I don't tend to wrap the sheets around the furled sail as I think it causes creases but the one thing I always try to remember is to let off some pressure on the halliard so that the luff is not being stretched whilst the boat is moored.
Agree entirely with making sure that the furling line is properly tied off/cleated then the sail cannot unfurl

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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I have to say that we have a small triangle showing.

It's not that the line doesnt have enough turns round the drum - but the the tabling on the clew is so rigid that there doesnt appear to be any material benefit to attempting to wrap any more around the furled sail. To make matters worse, we then get a hard crease - and mylar doesnt like being creased at all, so I prefer to leave about 6" unfurled.

I believe the wind would have to be blowing some to cause it to unwind - the area is miniscule. The furling line is 12mm, which as a breaking strain of about 4 tonnes - I just cant see my tiny little bit of sail generating such a force.

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