How-to Slideshows

Reefing While Sailing Downwind

by John November 19, 2010
JHH5-12877_thumb.jpg

A few months ago Phyllis wrote a post on how surprised she was to find that many, perhaps most, boats can’t reef or un-reef without rounding up into the wind. A process that is with all its attendant crashing and banging hard on the sails and gear. Not to speak of the fact you can [...]

Making Life Easier—Storm Jib

by Colin February 20, 2011
Will it soon be time to go for the storm jib? A windy day, Ria de Muros

Once a year we like to entertain our neighbours by hoisting our storm jib whilst we’re alongside. Not much new to be learned from it, but it does force us to get it out of the bag and give it a thorough check over for any signs of chafe or other damage. We have a [...]

Making Life Easier–Roller Reefing/Furling

by Colin March 3, 2011
Reducing friction always makes life easier

The old saying that ‘if a job is easy, you’ll do it’, is a good one that we have tried to bring to bear at all times when improving our Ovni 435 Pelerin. If the job’s difficult, you’ll delay it until it’s beyond inevitable and then it can become a hardship. And nowhere is that [...]

Windvane Or Autopilot?—Part 2

by Colin December 19, 2011
Blade angle

The first time I used a windvane in anger was back in the early 1980s, aboard my newly purchased UFO 34 cruiser-racer whilst delivering her home from Scotland through the Irish Sea. Fitted with a then state-of-the-art Aries vane, we had strong tailwinds for much of the way, which the vane handled fairly well, impressive [...]