Excerpted from How to Sail Around the World
A basic problem with sailing vessels is chafe – things rubbing against one another to destruction – and I refer to it again and again in this book. If a piece of line rubs against a sharp metal corner, there’s a good chance that the line will be ruined or cut in two in a few hours. But if protected by a piece of hose or by better routing, perhaps by a way of a smooth block, a line will last for years. Veteran sailors are always looking at their rigs when under sail to check three things:
- the trim of each sail and the whole rig together
- whether the sails are suitable for the current wind strength
- what’s rubbing on what
To suggest what can be done, I made two circumnavigations with the same main halyard on my 50-footer. (I end-for-ended the ½-inch diameter line after 30,000 miles to put a new section around the masthead sheave.) But I’ve also ruined new lines in a few hours because I got sloppy and inattentive.
For more cruising lessons, advice and stories, purchase Hal Roth’s How to Sail Around the World from Practical Sailor.
