GET SHIPSHAPE FOR WINTER

Commercial yachtsman (and yacht owner) Owain Peters has been with Kemp Sails for more than 15 ]ears, and offers some thoYKhts on preventinK the winter spoilinK the start of ]oYr sailinK season.

It is around this time of year that the weather in Northern Europe begins to dampen our inclination to go sailing. The lucky ones go back to plans for the trip to the Canaries and beyond, and the hardy ones seek like-minded individuals to race against at the weekends, while the rest of us begin to think about stouter shoes, and whether the car needs a bit more de-icer instead…

For the average yachtsman it is easy to overlook the boat for the winter, as she is rarely looking back at us from the driveway. Instead she is usually mournfully alone amongst her peers - tied up in a windswept marina berth, or sat in her cradle in a deserted boatyard pining for the feeling of water on her bottom again.

Excluding those enthusiasts with wooden yachts, it is also rare for winter maintenance to be the job it once was either. Even 50-year-old GRP yachts can require little more than a re-antifoul before they are ready to go again. So as the nights draw in, cast a thought to your boat while she faithfully awaits your eventual return, and consider how you can help enjoy next spring when you are reunited again.

DO NOT BE LOOSE Anything loose on deck causes damage over time, and ‘chafe is the enemy’ is an often-repeated truism that applies as equally on the marina berth or yard with 50kts of wind and rain lashing past as it does on an ocean crossing; even more so when inspection intervals are measured in weeks or months rather than days.

As a sailmaker, I should thoroughly encourage this sort of neglect: ease the genoa sheets off completely, slacken the ties on the boom cover and sprayhood and do not forget to leave the reefing lines hanging out and the halyards loose enough to hit the spreaders too.

As a ‘yottie’ it saddens me to see this though. I would far rather be saving money on the sort of repairs this creates,

and spending it elsewhere. Just cinching everything tight now and then does a world of good.

CONSIDER THE RISKS Ask yourself if you really need the genoa on the furler all winter though. For each sunny day it is up the rig, the UV strip will be doing its job and sacrificing itself, while the stitching will also be degrading.

Every wet day will be feeding the mildew that has lodged itself in all the dark recesses: these are not subsequently fried in the sun if the sail remains furled either. On every windy day the risks of fraying an edge of fabric increase, to guarantee you need it repaired or replaced sooner, rather than in seasons to come.

How about the mainsail - the furled genoa should at least be a fairly tight unit, but even the best fitted boom cover or packaway has a little looseness in it. How would that withstand a gale or

two? If nothing else, a few extra sail ties around the outside will take some of the flap out, but these can create extra chafe points instead. It would be better stored with the headsail somewhere with heating and low humidity which will prevent any degradation.

THINK ABOUT

EVERYTHING The lazy flap which the sprayhood or cockpit cover sometimes develop can turn into a chainsaw-like buzz in a storm with each individual flip-flop of the fabric stressing the fibres and bringing closer the day it too needs a patch, while the green slime that grows on the north side flourishes in the cold dampness of winter neglect. We have seen sprayhoods replaced with a cheap tarp for the winter, which is just as waterproof and much less painful on the wallet if damaged – and the accumulated bird deposits are far easier to overlook.

Rope is another textile that is frequently ignored. The gold standard is to remove these mousing halyards out so they can be rinsed thoroughly (bucket is easiest, or a washing machine for the bold…) and stored dry for a few months, rather than leaving them to turn the same thousand-wash-grey that favourite t-shirt went.

Supporting the boom end on something prevents movement at the gooseneck, and the wear on the components there, so for the zealous a boom crutch is also useful – but disconnecting any rod kicker and laying the end of the boom on the deck achieves the same result. Taking away anything else normally stored on deck (liferafts, MOB recovery devices, etc) stops these degrading pointlessly as well.

FUTURE INVESTMENT By removing everything - and it need take no more than a morning – you are investing in the future. To save having to store it yourself (and avoid the risk of any wildlife damaging it), leave it with your sailmaker, and the time could be used in servicing and valeting much of it. It is rare for storage rates to be prohibitive, and modern lofts are purpose made for healthy fabric and guaranteed to be mouse free. In this case you can both figuratively and literally put a ‘stitch in time’!

To add insult to injury, if you do discover damage on a sunny day in March or April you may have to join the back of the queue of people beating down the sailmaker’s door, only to be met with the same sucked teeth through pursed lips that your plumber might use, and the fateful words: “Probably not for four to six weeks, we are very busy”.

A final word on your sailmaker: like many other manufacturing industries, sailmaking is understaffed and overworked in order to meet the expectations the market has for price. Work for the winter starts in September to keep pace with jobs as they arrive, so in order to avoid disappointment, plan early: they will appreciate it too, trust me! www.kempsails.com

Ƹ&s the niKhts draw in, cast a thoYKht to ]oYr boat while she faithfYll] awaits ]oYr eventYal retYrn, and consider how ]oY can help enNo] next sprinK.ƹ