Sail Care

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sail’s worst enemies are chafe and sunlight. You should take every precaution to allaythese factors. Sunlight is particularly damaging to Kevlar and mylar sails. Sails shouldalways be covered or stowed below, preferably dry, when not in use.Chafe should be avoided by taping all pins, be they on the mast or the shrouds. Stanchions andpulpits should also be carefully checked to ensure there are no points of wear. Mylar genoasshould be fitted with spreader patches where the leeches hit the spreader ends. In many casesthey require similar patches at each stanchion the sail will come in contact with as well. This is absolutely vital, and even on woven cruising sails a sail patch or extensive padding on thespreader end will lead to significantly increase life in you sails.The sail’s other enemies are salt and flogging. Flogging is particularly detrimental to racing sailsand can lead to delamination of laminated materials or the destruction of the finish on very hardracing cloth. Do whatever is possible to reduce flogging, although obviously in the minutesleading up to the start of a race some flogging is unavoidable.Salt accumulation must be dealt with as often as possible. On a marine dinghy or small daysailor, itshould be possible to wash the sails in clean, fresh water at least monthly, while a large cruisingsail should be overhauled and washed at the end of each season. Although it can be expensive, it really will add dramatically to your sail’s lifespan. Figure 13 Washing sails
It is important to wash sails very carefully. Warm water and detergent will get off the majority of dirt marks (apart from rust and blood) and a good final rinse down with cold, fresh water is vital. Never use any strong chemicals or bleach. Storing sails
Very firm finished racing fabric should be rolled wherever possible, as folding will lead to creases which will not come out. Laminated sails of Kevlar or mylar can be left stowed in their sausage bags. Cruising sails should always be folded, or at least stowed on the boom (in whichcase they must always be covered).While sails can be left wet, it is preferable to dry them whenever possible. This applies particu-larly to spinnakers. Do not, however, try to dry sails by either letting them hang from the mast,which will cause irreparable damage from flogging, or leave them exposed to bright sunlight,which will ten to make the cloth very brittle. Spinnakers are particularly sensitive to sunshine.All sails can be subject to mildew if the right conditions exsist. These include, moisture, lack oflight and a food source. A dry sail is your best bet against the possibility of mold and mildew. If top telltale stalls first,fairlead is too far back.If bottom telltale stallsfirst, fairlead is too farforward.