Servicing

Sail care

Sails operate in a harsh environment: UV, pollution in rainfall, salt, flapping, and the occasional unprotected split pin all have the potential to spoil a great day of sailing. The sails are not only the ‘engine,’ but on many sailing boats they represent the biggest capital investment apart from the boat itself.

Just as you would not consider letting several years pass without reviewing your financial interests, your car’s systems or your own health, prudent mariners should have their sails reviewed on a regular basis. In Northern Europe the winter months are the logical time for routine maintenance.

Sometimes only one component of a sail will be exhibiting wear and often that component can be replaced. A common longer term upgrade is replacing the sacrificial UV cover on headsails, which we are accomplished and quick at doing.

 

Expert advice

For more complex issues our experts don’t need to read a book to determine what needs to be repaired: we are attentive to the small hints of potential damage that prompt the question, “What is going on here?” Often this observation will lead to a call from your sail consultant and some questions to determine a solution before the issue becomes a time-wasting and annoying problem. An apparently simple problem on your sail can become something much bigger in very little time if left unattended.

You might, in the course of your sailing, uncover an issue with the operation of the sail-handling gear that leaves you puzzled. For our sail consultants, sail system issues are invariably something they have either seen before or can trace back to the root of the problem. The answer is often something simple: re-leading a line, upgrading a block, or increasing the purchase of a tackle. If it has to do with sails or sailing the boat, we can often offer a simple solution to keep the value in your precious sailing time.

 

A stitch in time

Properly planned maintenance performed in a timely manner begins with sending us your sails as soon as they are finished with in the autumn, allowing us to inspect them and report back to you in plenty of time to consider your options.

Time is valuable to us all, and no time more so than the time we spend to rejuvenate ourselves. We all have financial and mental capital invested in our boats and the uses we put them to. Downtime is frustrating and expensive, especially if it is unexpected; it is all the more pressing when it interferes with relaxation and time spent with family and friends.