Online Book: Sail Handling and Rigging Made Easy

Colin shares the details on the Harken roller reefing system they installed on their OVNI 435.

Colin and Louise carry a dedicated hanked on storm jib ready to go when necessary. Colin tells us why and how.

In this chapter we will cover in detail, complete with a slideshow illustrating each step, how we reef on “Morgan’s Cloud” and more specifically, how we reef when sailing downwind.

A recent article in French sailing magazine Voiles et Voiliers looked at 7 different gennaker furlers, both for ease of use and ability to handle heavy loads. The results are surprising.

These days, with all the focus on the latest whiz-bang gadgets, many sailors are forgetting to think about and spend money on their boat’s primary means of locomotion. In this post we look at why spending time and money on good sails is vital. Not only is a boat that sails well more fun, it’s also a lot safer.

John doesn’t understand the move to swept back spreaders in sailboat rig design. And he’s not shy about saying so.

In the last two chapters we covered preventers. But what about controlling the boom once the wind comes forward and also slowing things down when gybing? Colin has the answer.

Which is better for the staysail stay? Roller furling and fixed or hanks and removable? John says it depends.

Reefing is one of those areas where the devil really is in the details. Over the years we have answered dozens of questions about reefing. In this chapter we highlight a few of those and provide our answers.