Rigging/Sails

Part 2 of my article on preventers. In Part 1 I explained why a proper preventer is vital and in this part I share how to make rigging one easy and safe.

A head injury is a terrible event wherever you are, but at sea far from medical help it’s even worse. Rigging a proper preventer is one of the surest ways to reduce the risk to you and your crew. In part 1 of this two part series we look at the risk and what constitutes a proper preventer.

John believes that any boat over about 45 feet that will be sailed shorthanded needs lazyjacks. In this chapter he describes the lazyjack system that allows him to set, reef, and strike Morgan’s Cloud’s 600-square foot mainsail without resorting to complex gear like roller furling masts or booms.

Before any long passage I conduct a careful examination of all of our standing and running rigging, checking particularly for chafe and any sign of corrosion – better to do it well in advance than wait until the last minute when there’s no time to effect repairs. So before we left the Canaries I went [...]

There are probably more myths and downright wrong recommendations published about reefing than any other subject. In this chapter John exposes one of them and then goes on to explain how to do it right.

Roller furling headsails are ubiquitous, but they are not without their drawbacks. John looks at ways to deal with that and make roller furling work well at sea.

No leaks down the exterior of the mast below the partners. Period. That’s what Waterboot promises and what it delivers. The Waterboot is computer cut to your measurements (based on their instructions) from a durable, lightweight, 100% UV resistant, rubbery material with a Velcro closure. You fit the boot around the mast, close the Velcro, [...]

It’s rare these days to see a cruising boat with hank-on headsails. But are such sails only for the traditionalists stuck in the stone age of offshore sailing? Maybe not. Here is a convincing case for hank-on sails, at least on smaller boats.

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.

Code 0 or lightweight genoa? Colin discusses the choice they made on “Pèlerin”, their OVNI 435.

Morgan’s Cloud is the only boat I have ever sailed on (I only started sailing after meeting John) and so I generally assume that the way we do things on our boat is the way it is done. Which suits John just fine—he’s been able to brainwash, I mean, teach me how he likes to [...]

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.