Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Halfway between the Cook Islands and Tonga, we spent a whole day preparing or 30-foot ketch for a gale that had been forecast for...

Perhaps this seems like going back to school, but procedure can be critical in soft mud, and I’ll wager most old cruising hands from...

First, we established baseline holding capacities for the 2-pound anchors by pull testing each anchor after...

Setting history matters. If the anchor is deeply set, a good portion of the rode is pulled...

I can’t leave a boat that’s yawing. I can’t sleep. Each time I’ve had an anchor fail...

Full-length battens create a compression load on the luff end, requiring ball bearing luff car system for...

The center of effort will move aft compared to a pinhead and forward compared to a full...

The triangular mainsail of a Marconi rig has never been the most aerodynamic shape. The narrow tip...

I recently had an experience with the service department at Steiner Optics that deserves mention in your Where Credit is Due, feature.

Polyester sailcloth is amazingly strong and durable stuff, often completing trips around the world or decades of weekend sailing. Its Achilles heel is the sun. After just 2-3 years in the sun, depending on the latitude, it becomes so rotted by UV that its little stronger than a cotton bed sheet. Mainsails are safely bundled under a Sunbrella cover. Nylon Spinnakers are bagged and stored below. Genoas, on the other hand, remain furled on the headstay, often year round, with the last 12 inches of the leach and foot continuously exposed.