Stowing sails

[Vid]

Is there a proper way to store sails within their sail bags? I've recently bought my first yacht and it has hanked-on sails. When I take them down I roll them along the luff then fold them in half to get them into the sail bags. Is this OK or is there a better way I should be un-hanking the sails and stowing them after use?

 

[rob2]

That's the way I was taught to roll jibs. The wire is therefore coiled and not subjected to bends which would lead to it breaking. The main, though, if you need to pack it away, is flaked into folds parallel with the foot (more or less)and then folded in to match the size of the bag.

Enjoy your new toy!

Rob.

 

[William_H]

Sail stowage

Hanked on jibs
If the jib has a luff wire (I think that would be unusual) then yes yu roll it around the luff then roll the luff into a ring to minimise bend of the luff wire.
However if like me you have hank on jibs of dacron then the best way is to flake (or fake) the sail from the foot ie a person at the tack and one at the clue. Fold the sail back and forth. You then fold or roll the folded sail leaving the tack outer most.
The reason for this is so that when you come to hank on the sail you pull it out of the bag the tack attachment is outmost. You attach that at the foot of the forestay.You then roll or unfold backwards to attach the sheets.The hanks will be exposed such that you hank on from the bottom keeping the sail still essentially folded on the deck. Attach the halyard. Now when you pull the halyard the jib should rise up to flying without twist. So it is all about folding for reattachment.

If the sail is mylar or kevlar type the life can be improved by rolling. The dinghy people will ahve a piece of plastic pipe 100mm in diameter and the length of the foot so sail is rooled onto the pipe. No creases. This is not so easy with luff wire however. Keel boat people with mylar will flake the jib along the foot but then put into a bag as long as the foot ie 3 or 4 metres long or they will just fold over a little of the foot to make it a bit shorter.
good luck with the new boat (don't be in a hurrry to convert to furling jib)

 

[andygc]

Ruining headsails

I have hanked on foresails and have used them for years. I also have a very good local sailmaker. Neither of us ever rolls the luffs of headsails. Rolling a luff wire puts a permanent twist in the wire and ruins the sail.

To pack them for storage you need space to lay the sail out flat and you should then flake the sail in folds starting at the foot and parallel to it. Make each flake slightly shorter than the height of your sail bag. Then roll the flaked sail from the tack. You will then have a roll that slips easily into your bag. If you look at the rolled sail you will see that the wire is not bent sharply at any point but is rolled to and fro with the twist alternating. I only do this for winter storage.

On deck you can't do this and in any case fiddling around with rolled sails is not what you want to do when you need to change down in a blow. I leave the sail attached to the forestay, then stretch it to its full length along the side deck. Starting at the foot, flake the sail in narrow folds, pulling the leech aft as you go. This gives you a neat and fairly narrow stack along the toerail. Then caterpillar fold the bundle forward with the fold length about the height of the bag. You now have a stack of hanked-on sail on the foredeck. keeping it bunched (you can put a tie around it if it helps), work the bag mouth around the bunt. You can then pull the bag up to enclose the sail. Once all the sail is in the bag, unhank, pushing the luff into the mouth of the bag as you go. Next time you want the sail, the tack is at the top of the bag and folds of luff are ready to be hanked on. If you were really good with your caterpillar folding the clew will also be to hand and you can attach the sheets as well - sail ready to hoist and still in the bag. My sails are stored like this throughout the season. The bag is bulkier than when sails are folded for storage after their annual maintenance, but when I go sailing I want to be able to use sails promptly.

After a bit of practice you should find you can do this on your own, on the foredeck of a 28-footer whilst bouncing around close hauled in a Force 5, having just changed down to a jib from a 20 square metre genoa. If your sail is much bigger you would probably need another pair of hands.

PS - caterpillar fold - the way caterpillars loop their bodies as they walk along twigs.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Is there a proper way to store sails within their sail bags? I've recently bought my first yacht and it has hanked-on sails. When I take them down I roll them along the luff then fold them in half to get them into the sail bags. Is this OK or is there a better way I should be un-hanking the sails and stowing them after use?

In general creases up and down the sail are worse than creases across the sail, because they disrupt the airflow more. So two methods spring to mind:

1. Flake the sail in zig zags parallel to the foot (putting in creases across the sail, but what the hey) and then roll across or

2. Scrunch it in the bag any old how and rely on randomness to keep the bad creases to a minimum.

I just stuff 'em in. They make better pillows that way, too.

Ian

 

[Lee_Shaw]

In general creases up and down the sail are worse than creases across the sail, because they disrupt the airflow more. So two methods spring to mind:

1. Flake the sail in zig zags parallel to the foot (putting in creases across the sail, but what the hey) and then roll across or

2. Scrunch it in the bag any old how and rely on randomness to keep the bad creases to a minimum.

I just stuff 'em in. They make better pillows that way, too.

Ian

Me too. If I'm transporting the genoa I flake it and put it in a sausage bag cos, otherwise I stuff it down below. Other sails I just stuff into their bags any old how.

 

[Vid]

Right, I'm obviously doing it sub-optimally so will try the flaking method - though handling my rather large No.1 genoa on the foredeck of my little 24ft yacht will be a bit of a challenge: I may well stuff it in the bag temporarily then refold it later. Makes eminent sense to have it coming out of the bag in the best way to go onto the forestay.

One of the reasons I like the boat I bought (an Achilles 24) was that it didn't have roller furling headsail - in fact there are three that came with it. I do wonder though how long it will be before I weaken for the damned convenience of furling though...

 

[Ubergeekian]

One of the reasons I like the boat I bought (an Achilles 24) was that it didn't have roller furling headsail - in fact there are three that came with it. I do wonder though how long it will be before I weaken for the damned convenience of furling though...

I've never succumbed to roller reefing. I like my headsail to set nicely, and roller reefed ones never do. I might be tempted by a Wykeham-Martin one day, though. The Hunter I'm currently restoring has a roller reefeing headsail: if I keep it then high on the list of things-do-do-are (1) have hanks fitted to the genoa and (2) by a working jib.

 

[William_H]

Roller reefing

It is nice to hear of others who don't have roller reefing. In our club of a bout 30 boats 3 have roller reefing all the rest have hank on or in one case bolt rope in foil.
As with may things it depends a bit on your sailing style. I race mostly with short 3 hr races where I can predict the wind strength fairly well. Sail changes if necessary are done on spinnacker run.
I sail off and onto a swing mooring with little contrary tide problem so jib is hoisted before departure but removed before arrival back at the mooring. I don't usually sail single handed.
I like the better performance of having the correct sail for the wind with the precisely correct sheeting point.
So don't be fooled by the apparent ease of jib handling with roller. good luck olewilll

 

[Vid]

I race mostly with short 3 hr races where I can predict the wind strength fairly well. Sail changes if necessary are done on spinnacker run.

For these same reasons I'm in no hurry to change - I'll be mainly club racing over short courses with a small crew and I think it will be more fun with a suite of sails to pick. Reading up the literature on my boat suggests that the big no.1 will be fine for quite strong winds, reefing the main before changing to a jib if conditions warrant it.

 

[Ubergeekian]

As with may things it depends a bit on your sailing style. I race mostly with short 3 hr races where I can predict the wind strength fairly well. Sail changes if necessary are done on spinnacker run.
I sail off and onto a swing mooring with little contrary tide problem so jib is hoisted before departure but removed before arrival back at the mooring. I don't usually sail single handed.

Changing jibs while sailing single handed can be, erm, character building. If I'm on my own overnight I always go down one foresail size at dusk, just in case.

 

[Athene V30]

One of the reasons I like the boat I bought (an Achilles 24) was that it didn't have roller furling headsail - in fact there are three that came with it. I do wonder though how long it will be before I weaken for the damned convenience of furling though...

Had my last boat (27ft) for 6 years and did change to furling headsail half way through. It was one of the best decisions I made. Sailing singlehanded most of the time I could always have the right size genoa up. Yes I appreciate there may be a slight loss of performanjce but with foam luffs it isn't huge. On my new (to me) boat I have hanked on sails but will be fittign furling over the winter. I have already added a removable inner forstay for storm / heavy weather jibs.

 

[Achillesheel]

Sent you a PM.