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Monday, 26 September 2011
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Friday, 16 September 2011
Learn to Sail Like a Pro - Seven Ways to Add New Life to Your Costly Sailboat Sails
It can be a harrowing experience to watch a mainsail rip across a seam from luff to leech while sailing down a narrow channel in a 25 knot breeze. That happened to me a few years back, and it proved to be a real "wake-up" call. Here are some little-known sailing tips, guaranteed to save you big money in costly mainsail and Genoa repair and replacements costs!
These days, the mainsail often gets left on the boat, lashed to the boom, and covered with a sail cover. The Genoa or jib stay rolled up like a window shade.
This may be convenient, but there's no way you can inspect a sailboat sail for damage, the stitching for wear, or the sailing hardware for integrity--unless you remove them from the boat.
At least once every sailing season, pull the mainsail and headsail off your boat and inspect them from head to toe (or foot--that is!).Follow these easy steps:
Inspect Stitching From Head to Foot
Look over every inch of zigzag and straight sewing stitches for wear or chafe. Concentrate along sail edges, like the luff and leech, where sail loads are greatest..
* Mainsails:
Mark worn areas with a pencil. Check across each sail seam for broken stitching. Look next to each slide or slug on the luff and foot. Sailing hardware causes extra tension on the sailcloth and can lead to worn, weakened fabric.
* Headsails:
Look for chafed areas along the foot. With roller furling headsails, inspect all along the luff. With snap-on headsails, look around the area of each piston-hank for wearing. Circle worn areas with a pencil and repair to increase sail life.
Wash Salt and Dirt from Your Sails
Salt and dirt grind on sail seams like a mini nail-file on a fingernail. Remove these particles and you will extend sail life. Bathe your sails once a season in a mild solution of water and mild, non-bleach soap. This keeps stitching strong and flexible.
Keep Sails Dry as a Bone!
Make sure you dry sails before you cover or bag them. Otherwise, mildew will grow in wet areas. If your sails have mildew spots, brush the spore with a medium stiff brush to loosen the spore. Dacron sails can be soaked in a 1% solution of Clorox and water for 3 hours. Never use bleach on nylon spinnaker sails; it could eat through the sail cloth!
Protect Resin Coated Sails
Remove your sails and fold them at the end of the sailing season. This protects the surface coating. Most cruising boat sails use some resin on the surface to help the sail keep her shape. But this coating breaks down without care.
* Cruising mainsails:
Dry the sail; then flake it over the sailboat boom. Cover with a sail cover.
* Cruising Headsails:
Dry and fold the sail accordion-style. Then, bag the sail on deck or stow below.
* Racing sails
Mylar or high-tech sailcloth should not be folded because this can lead to permanent "memory creases". Instead, stow these sails flat or roll them like a cigar from head to foot.
Make Batten Wear Your #1 Attack Point
Battens wear like the dickens in their pockets as the mainsail vibrates and flogs in a breeze, or when hoisting or lowering. Inspect each batten pocket all around the perimeter for worn stitches. Test the elastic in the pocket bottom. Just like the elastic in underwear, it tends to blow out after time. And this will cause accelerated wear.
Have your sailmaker reinforce each pocket with an additional row of stitching. Replace elastic in the pocket. If you use full length battens, inspect batten hardware at the luff. Before bagging a mainsail, be sure to remove battens to prevent punctures.
Check Sail Attachment Hardware
Sail hardware causes a "hard spot" on the sailcloth. This can lead to lots of tension and stress at that point on the sail. Catch and replace broken, chipped or worn hardware because this can cause unexpected failure that results in a rip across the sail
* Mainsails:
Check headboard, tack and clew rings. Then check luff slugs and slides for cracks, missing shackles or deformity. Don't hoist the mainsail until you have replaced damaged hardware.
* Roller Furling headsails:
Inspect head and tack thimbles, and clew rings for wear or chafe. Remove the sail from the headstay extrusion to check for luff chafe. Repair worn areas right away to prevent further damage.
* Hank-on headsails:
Look for chafe in the corners and then inspect piston snaps and grommets. Lubricate corroded piston snaps with a drop of light machine oil. Work the piston in and out to free it of corrosion.
Replace Sacrificial Furling Sail Covers
The extra cloth that your sailmaker sews along the leech of a furling headsail protects the rolled sail against the ravages of UV sunlight. But, like any sailcloth, it deteriorates, stitching wears, and the cloth becomes weak and porous.
When you see these signs on your furling sail cover, have your sailmaker remove the old cover and install a fresh one. This will protect your costly headsail from damage and extend it's life by many years.
Use these seven super sailing tips to learn to sail like a pro and keep your sailboat sails in tip top shape. You will save lots of money in repair and replacement costs and enjoy sailing with the same suit of sails for many years to come.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6410235
These days, the mainsail often gets left on the boat, lashed to the boom, and covered with a sail cover. The Genoa or jib stay rolled up like a window shade.
This may be convenient, but there's no way you can inspect a sailboat sail for damage, the stitching for wear, or the sailing hardware for integrity--unless you remove them from the boat.
At least once every sailing season, pull the mainsail and headsail off your boat and inspect them from head to toe (or foot--that is!).Follow these easy steps:
Inspect Stitching From Head to Foot
Look over every inch of zigzag and straight sewing stitches for wear or chafe. Concentrate along sail edges, like the luff and leech, where sail loads are greatest..
* Mainsails:
Mark worn areas with a pencil. Check across each sail seam for broken stitching. Look next to each slide or slug on the luff and foot. Sailing hardware causes extra tension on the sailcloth and can lead to worn, weakened fabric.
* Headsails:
Look for chafed areas along the foot. With roller furling headsails, inspect all along the luff. With snap-on headsails, look around the area of each piston-hank for wearing. Circle worn areas with a pencil and repair to increase sail life.
Wash Salt and Dirt from Your Sails
Salt and dirt grind on sail seams like a mini nail-file on a fingernail. Remove these particles and you will extend sail life. Bathe your sails once a season in a mild solution of water and mild, non-bleach soap. This keeps stitching strong and flexible.
Keep Sails Dry as a Bone!
Make sure you dry sails before you cover or bag them. Otherwise, mildew will grow in wet areas. If your sails have mildew spots, brush the spore with a medium stiff brush to loosen the spore. Dacron sails can be soaked in a 1% solution of Clorox and water for 3 hours. Never use bleach on nylon spinnaker sails; it could eat through the sail cloth!
Protect Resin Coated Sails
Remove your sails and fold them at the end of the sailing season. This protects the surface coating. Most cruising boat sails use some resin on the surface to help the sail keep her shape. But this coating breaks down without care.
* Cruising mainsails:
Dry the sail; then flake it over the sailboat boom. Cover with a sail cover.
* Cruising Headsails:
Dry and fold the sail accordion-style. Then, bag the sail on deck or stow below.
* Racing sails
Mylar or high-tech sailcloth should not be folded because this can lead to permanent "memory creases". Instead, stow these sails flat or roll them like a cigar from head to foot.
Make Batten Wear Your #1 Attack Point
Battens wear like the dickens in their pockets as the mainsail vibrates and flogs in a breeze, or when hoisting or lowering. Inspect each batten pocket all around the perimeter for worn stitches. Test the elastic in the pocket bottom. Just like the elastic in underwear, it tends to blow out after time. And this will cause accelerated wear.
Have your sailmaker reinforce each pocket with an additional row of stitching. Replace elastic in the pocket. If you use full length battens, inspect batten hardware at the luff. Before bagging a mainsail, be sure to remove battens to prevent punctures.
Check Sail Attachment Hardware
Sail hardware causes a "hard spot" on the sailcloth. This can lead to lots of tension and stress at that point on the sail. Catch and replace broken, chipped or worn hardware because this can cause unexpected failure that results in a rip across the sail
* Mainsails:
Check headboard, tack and clew rings. Then check luff slugs and slides for cracks, missing shackles or deformity. Don't hoist the mainsail until you have replaced damaged hardware.
* Roller Furling headsails:
Inspect head and tack thimbles, and clew rings for wear or chafe. Remove the sail from the headstay extrusion to check for luff chafe. Repair worn areas right away to prevent further damage.
* Hank-on headsails:
Look for chafe in the corners and then inspect piston snaps and grommets. Lubricate corroded piston snaps with a drop of light machine oil. Work the piston in and out to free it of corrosion.
Replace Sacrificial Furling Sail Covers
The extra cloth that your sailmaker sews along the leech of a furling headsail protects the rolled sail against the ravages of UV sunlight. But, like any sailcloth, it deteriorates, stitching wears, and the cloth becomes weak and porous.
When you see these signs on your furling sail cover, have your sailmaker remove the old cover and install a fresh one. This will protect your costly headsail from damage and extend it's life by many years.
Use these seven super sailing tips to learn to sail like a pro and keep your sailboat sails in tip top shape. You will save lots of money in repair and replacement costs and enjoy sailing with the same suit of sails for many years to come.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6410235
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
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Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Can you have more Sales too !!
Can You Have More Sales, Too?
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Monday, 5 September 2011
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Monday, 29 August 2011
Combine Work and Play With Corporate Sailing Days
If you're looking for a unique way to treat employees or impress clients, why not consider arranging a corporate sailing day?
Outdoor team-building exercises tend to be popular among firms seeking to boost morale and get staff to work more closely together, and spending a day out on the water can be particularly suitable for this purpose.
A yacht trip could additionally be ideal when it comes to organising a meeting with a difference and wowing potential or current clients - making this type of event good for business!
One of the best things about corporate sailing events is the fact that everyone is on the same level when it comes to learning about how to manage a boat out on the water, regardless of their position within the company.
This means those who may not hold a role high up in the firm could reveal their potential for progression while working on the boat.
No prior sailing experience is needed to learn the ropes, as a professional will be onboard with you to guide you through the various procedures and tasks that everyone needs to carry out to get the yacht from one place to another.
Sailing event providers will also make efforts to ensure your boat is suitable for a crew where skill levels may vary from beginner to expert, while your sailing location will be chosen so that the challenges associated with navigating tides and choppy waters are eliminated.
You can choose from a host of different sailing programmes depending on your group and the pace you wish to stick to. There will usually be scope to tailor your activities, so you do not have to settle for a one-size-fits-all sailing day.
One potential option is a full day of sailing, where you arrive in the morning, learn all about your boat and go for a practice trip on it before engaging in a fun race or another sailing activity in the afternoon.
If you have more time to spare, you could alternatively head to the harbour in the evening, stay on the yacht overnight and have a full day of practice and race sailing the next day.
Another idea could be to combine any meetings, conferences or training you might be planning with corporate sailing activities to really make the most of your day out and ensure productivity doesn't suffer while you're away.
For example, you could hold a sales pitch meeting at the yacht club in the morning, before taking your potential customer out for a fun afternoon of sailing. Or you could hold a company presentation for your staff and follow this up with team-building exercises on the water.
If you have even more time on your hands, you may want to consider chartering a yacht for a longer corporate sailing holiday.
The choice is entirely up to you. Many providers will be happy to work with you to tailor your sailing programme for your needs, so make sure you find out the full extent of your options before settling on a specific schedule.
Food and some drink will be included in your corporate sailing package - doing away with the need to find a catering supplier - and this can take the form of a fantastic picnic break between sailing jaunts.
Now that you have an idea of what a corporate sailing day might involve, where should you go? The UK has numerous sites ideal for teambuilding exercises, but for gentle sailing conditions the Solent is one of the best options.
Situated between mainland England and Isle of Wight, this expanse of water is perfect for beginners and offers a particularly pleasurable sailing experience when the weather is fine. It is also easy to get to, whether you're travelling by rail, road or air.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5952329
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