Offshore Sailing tip #3

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    Marking Sails

    A few minutes with a waterproof marker can save a lot of time when you are changing sails on a dark and stormy night. For hanked-on sails, I draw an arrow pointing up at each hank. For boats with furling sails or boats equipped with racing luff extrusions such as Tuff Luff, I mark the luff tape on the sail with an arrow at about 2-foot intervals. Write Head, Tack, and Clew on each sail in the appropriate corner. On the head and tack, identify the sail itself – like 130 percent Yankee.

    To read more tips to keep your sailing safer and more enjoyable, purchase Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips from Practical Sailor.

    Darrell Nicholson
    Darrell Nicholson is editor emeritus of Practical Sailor. He is a longtime liveaboard sailor and has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans. A winner of dozens of writing awards in disparate genres, he currently edits Marine Electronics Journal for the National Marine Electronics Association. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license and sails his S&S-designed Yankee 30, Opal, out of St. Petersburg, Florida. He can be reached at darrellnicholson.com.