Giving Ronja back her wings

When my wife and I bought our 1990 Victoria 26 Ronja in a barn in Hampshire in March 2018, there were many unknowns. But the biggest question mark lay over the rig.

As bought, the whole rig was lying on top of the boat in a dusty bundle, just as it had been lowered six years previously. In among it all was an EasyReef furling system and MaxiRoach mainsail which had been retrofitted to the boat in 1998. It was my first encounter with in-mast furling, and I really had no idea what to expect.

Against all odds, the mast was craned into place without a hitch, a problem with the roller furling genoa was quickly sorted by a local rigger, and we managed to get the boat sailing again in less than six weeks. We enjoyed a relaxing first cruise from Dartmouth to Newton Ferrers, on the South Coast of Devon, getting to know our new boat.

There were many aspects of the in-mast furling system which I liked: being able to reef the mainsail quickly if things got a bit ‘tippy’ for the family, being able