Sail-care Basics

Knowing how to take care of your sails and how to repair them while at sea is an important part of overall seamanship. The last thing any sailor needs is to get caught on a lee shore with damaged sails. This applies to both racers and cruisers.

These days there is a fine line between the kind of engineering used for racing and cruising sails, as many cruisers are now opting for high-tech membrane sails, as opposed to conventional crosscut Dacron or a laminate. But while a membrane sail includes plenty of high-tech engineering in its construction, it is no more difficult to repair than Dacron.

Before we look at how to fix these different kinds of sails, though, we’re going to take a look at some of the factors that fatigue sails in the hope that we can prevent having to do any unnecessary repair. Whether it’s blowing dogs off chains, or you’re chasing cat’s paws in a drifter, there are plenty of ways to ensure you get the most out of your sails over time. We’ll then take on the subject