The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Your Mainsail Is Your Friend

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I have been noticing lately that many sailors have de-emphasized their mainsails. In some cases to the point where the main is the first sail to come down when the going gets tough and often does not even get set in the first place.

I guess this trend is understandable because of the advent of reliable and easy to use roller furling on headsails, but it’s also a mistake and potentially dangerous.

We Need Our Mainsails

When things get gnarly, our mainsails are our friends. And without them, our options are severely limited. Let’s look at why.


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More Articles From Online Book: Sail Handling and Rigging Made Easy:

  1. Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
  2. Don’t Forget About The Sails
  3. Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
  4. Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action
  5. Reefs: How Many and How Deep
  6. Reefing Made Easy
  7. Reefing From The Cockpit 2.0—Thinking Things Through
  8. Reefing Questions and Answers
  9. A Dangerous Myth about Reefing
  10. Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
  11. Topping Lift Tips and a Hack
  12. 12 Reasons The Cutter Is A Great Offshore Voyaging Rig
  13. Cutter Rig—Should You Buy or Convert?
  14. Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting
  15. Cruising Rigs—Sloop, Cutter, or Solent?
  16. Sailboat Deck Layouts
  17. The Case For Roller-Furling Headsails
  18. UV Protection For Roller Furling Sails
  19. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing—Convenience and Reliability
  20. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing —Performance, Cost and Safety
  21. The Case For Hank On Headsails
  22. Making Life Easier—Roller Reefing/Furling
  23. Making Life Easier—Storm Jib
  24. Gennaker Furlers Come Of Age
  25. Swept-Back Spreaders—We Just Don’t Get It!
  26. Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
  27. Rigid Vangs
  28. Rigging a Proper Preventer, Part 1
  29. Rigging a Proper Preventer—Part 2
  30. Amidships “Preventers”—A Bad Idea That Can Kill
  31. Keeping The Boom Under Control—Boom Brakes
  32. Downwind Sailing, Tips and Tricks
  33. Downwind Sailing—Poling Out The Jib
  34. Setting and Striking a Spinnaker Made Easy and Safe
  35. Ten Tips To Fix Weather Helm
  36. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 1
  37. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 2
  38. Two Dangerous Rigging Mistakes
  39. Rig Tuning, Part 1—Preparation
  40. Rig Tuning, Part 2—Understanding Rake and Bend
  41. Rig Tuning, Part 3—6 Steps to a Great Tune
  42. Rig Tuning, Part 4—Mast Blocking, Stay Tension, and Spreaders
  43. Rig Tuning, Part 5—Sailing Tune
  44. 12 Great Rigging Hacks
  45. 9 Tips To Make Unstepping a Sailboat Mast Easier
  46. Cruising Sailboat Spar Inspection
  47. Cruising Sailboat Standing Rigging Inspection
  48. Cruising Sailboat Running Rigging Inspection
  49. Cruising Sailboat Rig Wiring and Lighting Inspection
  50. Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist
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Marc Dacey

Seeing as I haven’t objected to anything said here (despite being an avid user of “boom tackles” to the side decks on my tall, skinny and usually unreefed main of my ’70s IOR-style boat), I look forward to the discussion on number and depths of reefs, as our bigger steel boat has end-boom sheeting and considerably more area and therefore potential for grief if not kept “tame”.

Rob

Hi John, great topic and so many questions – I totally agree with your thoughts on having the mainsail up – all a bit late for me though unfortunately – my answer was to recently fit an aluminium boom furler set-up, with a new fully battened mainsail to match. So I was interested (and concerned I have to say) in your comment “ease of deployment is one of the big wins for in-mast (but not in-boom) roller furling units”. Why this view on “in-boom” John? Is it based on older generation models that had design-faults? Or is there some inherent weakness I should be aware of from an off-shore / storm-conditions perspective?

For completeness – my in-boom decision was based on what I perceived as a good list of up-sides (below) with the down-sides being higher initial price, and somewhat heavier boom. But:
We now have eight reefing positions (battens set under the in-boom mandrel), to suit the exact amount sail to the conditions and mast, and one additional “flattening” reef.
The sail sets way better than any slab reefing I have used on many yachts, with full length, “parallel to the boom” battens in the mainsail.
There is no distortion at any reefing points, or on any battens, when reefed in heavy winds – so the sail will last longer whilst looking way better. One local owner has done three trips from NZ to the Islands and back, and two “Round the North Island” races. His mainsail looks brand new according to my sailmaker. We hope sail/sail repair savings will be substantial over the life of the sail/boom.
We can reef right down to tri-sail size (or smaller) when heaving-to, eliminating the need for a separate tri-sail which saves us cost and complexity.
We can raise, lower or reef the sail; hove-to, head-to-wind, close-hauled, reaching or even running (with the boom amidships) if need be though the manufacturer recommends close-hauled with the mainsheet free.
The sail raises and lowers every time – nothing for sail battens to get caught on like lazy-jacks.
First mate can do all this without leaving the cockpit, using just the furling line and main halyard and the standard cabin top halyard winch (whilst I watch and offer helpful advice).
Simple set-up, only two lines (so cockpit cleared of many ropes) and nothing to jam – but if Murphy intervenes there is a manual override on the front of the mast/boom to winch the sail down using any standard winch handle, directly connected to the internal rotating mandrel.
In survival conditions (at sea or anchor) the sail rolls completely away reducing windage.
The boom and vang are both stronger than my old Selden ones.
At the end of a sail, it takes just 60 seconds to deploy the sail-cover and reach for a beer!
Look forward to you’re reasoning and further chapters articles on the subject.
Rob

RDE

Hi John,
Sounds like the “seizurefurl” system I sailed with up from Panama. Not to say that such a system can’t be designed to work under all conditions and thus reap the advantages Rob lists. When long distance single handed racers convert to in-boom furling I’ll be a believer.

Also spent two hours up the mast pounding on a jammed Hood in mast furled sail before leaving on a fall delivery from Newport one time—–.

Rob

Hi John
Thanks for the background to your comments. You are correct, the boom does have to be perpendicular to the mast so the sail furls evenly and doesn’t bunch up at the tack or clew, but this is a very simple matter of marking the topping lift with a marker pen once. Our topping lift comes back to the cockpit so we just have to check it is in the clutch at the right position, to always be right.
The hoisting and reefing is noticeably quicker with our system than our old slab reefing. Even dropping the sail is quicker because even though it has to be furled-in rather than dropped, we don’t have to go forward to pull down the last 1/4 that never self-stowed, nor catch the leach that spilled over the aft lazy jacks and flopped around in the wind.
I am impressed with the engineering in the system, but I guess that the proving of this pudding will be done by said Mr Murphy!
Cheers
Rob

Gino Del Guercio

We absolutely love our Leisurefurl system and would never go back. My friends with inmast systems are always worried about jamming. Not us. If you want simplicity inboom is the way to go, IMO. Our boat came with an older inboom system with many of the problems you described, but Leisurefurl, at least, has worked these out.

Rob Gill

Hi Gino, it is now more than seven years since I wrote my question to John above and we have done around 30,000 nautical miles under sail around NZ and the SW Pacific since (but we are not live aboard). Probably 99.9% of those miles with our mainsail up. We almost never sail or motor sail with just a jib, as the main is always ready to go. Our mainsail looks good as new apart from a few stains.

Jenny our first mate does at least half our hoisting/stowing and reefing from the cockpit in any wind strength, all without calling me if I’m asleep off watch. She would never attempt any of this with our old cockpit controlled slab reefing.

So we are also happy with our Leisurefurl boom choice, but have learned a few tricks:

1. have the boom elevated by about 7.5 degrees using the Forespar solid vang settings, so when we release the vang and mainsheet, the boom elevates automatically and we furl perfectly every time, no matter the wind strength.

2. we do reef OK downwind if needed by leaving the main out against the spreaders, elevating the boom to at least 10 degrees using the topping lift, and leaving the halyard around the cleat (clutch open), then winch the sail down with the luff really tensioned.

3. to regularly check the torque on the bolts securing the boom to the gooseneck. These appear to have been put in with a silicone grease and can back out in a big seaway (discovered in time before any damage done luckily). We have now put Helicoils into the boom casing, and reset the bolts using Locktite. Our rigger and an engineer sailing buddy believe this to be a permanent fix. But the next seven years will tell eh?

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David

Hi Rob,
I’ve long been tempted by in-boom furling, but have been worried about a few things I wonder if you would comment on.
* Reefing while headed down wind, especially if caught with too much main up when the wind increases quickly. We’ve gotten our downwind overpowered slab reefing dialed in, and I’d hate to have to turn into the wind/waves in those conditions. Have you tried it? How did it go?
* Fragile luff tape – I’ve heard that the luff tapes tend to tear, with many needing to be replaced every year. Sounds like your friend’s system has been very solid and reliable over many miles. Have you heard of this issue? Is it real? I heard about it from a sailmaker that I trust a lot. On the other hand, or course a sailmaker would only see the ones that tore, and maybe they weren’t set up with the right angles. He would never see the reliable ones, so his opinion might be skewed.
* Can you tell us which in-boom furler you and your friend chose and what size boat?
It’s hard to find non-armchair, actually been-there-done-that-across-real-oceans info about in-boom furling. Appreciate your info and any more you can offer.
Thanks!
David

Rob

I was equally tempted and worried David! Since the boom and sail are only 5 months old and we are in spring now, it hasn’t had much sea time. So to your questions:
Reefing downwind? One “trial” to date in about 20 knots of wind went well. My method was to run directly downwind, centralise the traveller with mainsheet in tight. Topping lift and vang on to set marks so boom was level and so the mainsail was completely de-powered. Then eased out the main halyard as we wound on the furler. We have a cleat that takes a single round turn of the halyard or furling line being eased. I believe this will work well up to about 20 knots, and once reefed down taking further reefs up to perhaps 30 knots – not convinced above that if wave action makes steering too hard to keep the “full” mainsail perpendicular to the wind for long enough to reef. Since we always reef early and long, I never envisage having to reef the full mainsail downwind. At night I plan to put in at least two reefs on passage (my reefs are at every batten – 8 of them – not reefing point). If we are caught with too much sail and over 20 knots wind then I would leave the sail almost out and furl the mainsail as before, but expect some wear of the sail against the side stays, but the battens will reduce the friction / load vs sail-cloth. I may have to use the winch handle at the mast if the furling line gets too loaded.
Fragile luff-tape? Less wear than my old main in the mast luff track. We have a new luff track bolted to the back of the mast (as part of the set-up) so the luff tape is always vertical (so it rolls straight up). The feeder is well rounded and has less friction than before. The new sail luff is strong and the bolt rope substantial.
I was influenced in my decision by four sailors I trust with experience of the same system in racing and offshore cruising yachts. One is my sailmaker who I have known for over 20 years (who’s boss is Mike Sanderson winner of a Volvo Ocean race). He did a rough delivery trip back from the Islands to NZ solo (rest of crew seasick), and he was converted – I asked him the same question about the wear and he assures me it’s a non-issue with this system.
Make of in-boom furling system? We all have the NZ made Leisurefurl system (which I think is marketed by Forespar in the North American market). On my boat this is matched with a new powerful Forespar solid vang, and a fully battened Doyle Stratis laminate mainsail.
Size of boat? My boat is 13.5 metres Beneteau 473. The boat that completed the round NI races and Island round-trips is also around 13.5 metres.
Hope this helps with your deliberations.
Rob

Rob

Mistake in my post above – should have written “parallel to the wind”.

David Nutt

Common sense article and common sense is what seems to work best at sea. On Danza we have a very similar system to yours and it worked well for our 5 year circumnavigation and a trip to Greenland. I can recall only one time that we sailed without the main up and that was a short day passage in 5kts of wind. Ease of raising and lowering the main on Danza is augmented by using the Antal track and car system. Harkin’s is great as well but results in a noticeably higher stack when the sail is down. We have 3 reefs and often found ourselves sailing with a double reef and just the staysail when it got snotty out there. Our reefing winch, located on the boom, is significantly oversized which actually makes it the right size. It is hard for things to go wrong with the simplicity of the system and after over 60,000 sea miles I do not know what to do to improve it. My wife Judy says to leave it as it is.

Wyn Folsome

Certainly an alarming tend.
The advent of roller furling sails in general has done more to hold back safety at sea. Many people are not even carrying a storm jib, let alone a storm trisail anymore.
Then they get into trouble trying to reef down a roller jib to storm condition size and can’t sail off a Lee shore because there sail is not flat enough to work upwind .
I am a proponent of hank on sails, and jiffy reefing.
Sure they take up room on your boat but they always come down and can be reefed for the weather conditions.

I spent years in the Coast Guard during which time there were quite a few cases of sailors not rigged , or not knowing how to sail there vessels with just the main, or proper reefing points set up.
And in many of the cases there vessels were damaged , simply because they could not control there vessels when under just main, or were unable to properly reef their sails due to roller furling rig failures.
The KISS method always works… keep it simple…..
And you will spend more time safely offshore.

David Nutt

Danza is a ketch with a roller furling jib and a roller furling staysail and we have found it to be a near bullet proof system. In all our offshore miles we have yet to ‘reef’ the jib; instead we suck it all the way in and drop down to the staysail which by nature is a fairly flat sail. By then we have long since furled the mizzen and tucked two reefs into the mainsail. There are those who advocate sailing a ketch with the mizzen and the jib but on Danza that is a very poor choice as she does not handle well and a ‘reefed’ jib is a very full sail just when you want it flat.
Wyn mentions his experience in the Coast Guard of providing aid to those who are not rigged and/or not knowing. At that point there is little left to do but try to rescue them. No doubt in many of these cases bad decisions were made early in the cascade of increasing problems and gear failures. Any system, regardless of how simple it is, will fail if one’s ducks are not all in a row.

Greg Rosine

I’ve watched others sail with just their jib and they seem to move fine. But when I have tried it, it just doesn’t seem the boat feels “balanced”. Being able to heave to at moments notice is huge. It’s like have a set of brakes.