The 24,000 mile mainsail

After 24,000 miles – including three visits to the Azores, racing round Britain and Ireland and a foray into the Atlantic – it was a simple day-race (round the Isle of Wight) that finally killed Zest’s last mainsail.

Sails are often the most expensive things we will buy for the boat, even outstripping electronics, so it’s hardly surprising that most of us try to maximise their life.

Dacron is by far the most popular material for cruisers as it’s relatively cheap (by sailmaking standards), retains strength for a long time and is easily repairable. Unfortunately, it’s also a stretchy material, a factor that becomes more pronounced as the sail ages.

It’s often said this stretch doesn’t really matter much for cruising. That might be true if all your sailing is running downwind in the tropics, but few of us are that lucky. The problem with a misshapen sail goes far beyond the loss of a little speed – it also adds to the boat’s heel and increases weather helm. The boat is therefore more difficult to steer, whether by a crewmember or an autopilot, and the motion at sea becomes more uncomfortable.

High tech laminate and