But what about the Sails and Rigging?

Having posted a blog on Winterization last week, one of our readers asked a good question – what about the Sails, Mast and Rigging?

Well here goes, taking each component in turn:

Sails

We take the easy way out and drop all our sails off at the local Sail loft.

Most sail lofts will provide a cleaning, repair and storage service - so they wash, check and make minor repairs then store for the winter. They invoice you a few hundred bucks in Jan/Feb and you pick them up as good as new in early May.

If you want to do it yourself, here are some practical tips:

·      Lay your sails out on the lawn and wash them with warm, soapy water

·      Remove and rinse shackles and other fittings and store separately

·      Soak any stains in warm water with something like Oxyclean for a day

·      Scrub obstinate stains gently with a soft brush

·      Avoid bleach, strong detergents, harsh chemicals or abrasive materials

·      Once clean, rinse them thoroughly with fresh water

·      Dry them fully (preferably outside) to prevent mold developing

·      Roll don’t fold to minimize creasing and prevent wear

·      Store so air can circulate around them in a dry, constant temperature

·      Choose somewhere safe from pests and moisture – like the attic

·      Don’t leave them on your boat or in damp conditions as this encourages mold

·      Check stored sails regularly for pests and mold

Whilst cleaning the sails, check for any signs of stress, torn stitching and delamination. If you find any problems, take the sail into your sailmaker early as they get busier as the new season approaches.

Many owners leave the rig on for the winter, but some prefer to un-step it, which reduces stress on the boat caused by the wind and cold and also makes it easier to inspect and work on it.

Running Rigging (Lines)

We take off all the running rigging we can and rinse them in a bucket of warm, soapy water which gets rid of the salt and softens them ready for the new season. After drying to prevent mold, we store them indoors to prevent UV damage.

If the mast is being left on the boat, messengers can be pulled in to remove the halyards for washing and storage, otherwise leave the halyards in the mast, but secure both ends.

Mast, boom and standing rigging

If the mast is un-stepped, store it securely, horizontally, preferably inside along with the boom.

Look for wear, cracks, corrosion, or fatigue, check for elongated holes or bent pins. Replace old cotter pins and tape, lubricate turnbuckles etc. to speed up spring commissioning.

Rinse the mast, boom and rigging using mild detergent to remove salt and dirt. Be careful not to damage anodized or painted parts if using specialized cleaners. If storing outside, remove the electronic wind indicator and store inside, sealing any electrical connectors.

Protect exposed aluminum and stainless steel with products to prevent oxidation. Wrap key parts in the green ceran wrap you can buy from moving companies, like UHaul, to stop water getting in and reduce the risk of freezing.

If the mast is left on, we try to wrap any moving parts we can reach on the mast and standing rigging with the green ceran wrap above.

Slightly loosen standing rigging to reduce stress on the boat, but not enough to move too much in a winter storm.

We don’t get our rigging checked professionally each year, but look at it ourselves (rust, loose fittings etc) and check for tightness in the spring.

Generally, you can ping the rig for tightness and check manually, if you really want to tune it you can use a Loos gauge and measure the tension to the tuning specs which are usually obtainable online for most boats.

We hope this is helpful; Please feel free to contact us with questions and for advice,

781-797-0433

info@sailsatori.com