Article by Tor Pinney                                                                                                                           Back to Outfitting Checklist List

                  

CRUISING SAILS & CANVAS CHECKLIST
© 2011 Tor Pinney All Rights Reserved

Adapted from my book, “Ready for Sea! – How to
Outfit the Modern Cruising Sailboat” (Sheridan House)

 

Sails

The three main requirements for sails are initial quality, protection against the damaging effects of sunlight, and protection against chafe. Quality begins at the design board, then with the sailcloth, and finally lies in the hands of your sail maker. If your boat’s sails are still serviceable, have them thoroughly checked over and reconditioned by a professional before setting off on a long voyage.

A cruising boat’s sails should be constructed from sailcloth and sail thread treated to filter out the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Still, sunlight will eventually deteriorate sailcloth and stitching.  Since the leech and foot of roller-furling headsails are always exposed, they need to be covered with a sacrificial layer of UV-resistant cloth, such as Sunbrella awning fabric. It's up to you to keep all other sails completely covered or bagged when not in use.

A cruising sailboat deserves a full set of sails, typically including the following:

Sail Inventory

• 125-135% Genoa, ideally bi-radial cut with foam-padded luff for roller reefing. - This versatile headsail, set on a sturdy roller-furling system, replaces all the genoas, Yankees and working jibs that sailors used to lug along on a cruise. With a foam-padded luff the headsail can be roller-reefed down to 1/3 it's full size to suit the wind force, yet still maintain a good shape as long as the sheet block is moved forward as the sail's size is decreased.

• Second Genoa identical to the first (if budget and space permit) - This sail is stowed in a locker as a spare when voyaging long-term. It’s a back up for the primary headsail, without which the boat won’t sail effectively to windward, and may also be used for running downwind under balanced twin headsails. 

• Cruising Chute – This asymmetrical spinnaker, flown without a pole, isn’t necessary for cruising, but it adds versatility and pizzazz to light air sailing. A “sleeve furler” or “spinnaker sock” makes it much easier deploy and douse, especially for short-handed crew.

• Staysail, optionally hanked-on and with reef points - This is the offshore workhorse of the modern cutter, staysail sloop or double-headsail ketch. It may be flown virtually all the time during an offshore passage while the genoa and mainsail are reefed and un-reefed according to wind strength. Reefed down, the staysail makes a serviceable storm jib. 

• Storm Jib, set on the inner headstay for very heavy weather - Every offshore cruising sailboat should carry a storm jib. If you need it, you really need it. But for cruising limited to the gentler latitudes, a staysail with reef points may serve. On sloops the storm jib is set with luff straps (rather than hanks), wrapped over the roller-furled genoa.

• Storm Trysail, with a dedicated mast track and also grommets for lashing to the mast if the cars fail - Though seldom used in moderate latitudes, this heavy weather sail should be aboard every blue water passage-maker.

• Mainsail with at least 2 sets of reef points - If full-length battens are already there, fine. If not, don't blow your budget to convert your sail. On an offshore cruising sailboat, the pros and cons pretty much balance out.

• Mizzen Sail, on split-rig vessels - ketches and yawls – only - the mizzen sail should have at least one set of reef points, especially if you use it for heaving-to. Split-rig boats will also benefit by adding a mizzen staysail to the inventory. This easy-to-handle sail can give you an extra knot in light airs.

• Telltales are typically 6” to 10” lengths of colored yarn taped in pairs on opposite sides of a sail. When the pairs are streaming aft in parallel they indicate that the wind is flowing evenly along both sides of the sail; that the sail is set most efficiently.

Canvas

• "Canvas" accessories are not canvas at all these days, but acrylics and other synthetics used for covers and awnings. Choose your fabric color thoughtfully. You will live with it all around you for a long time.  Seek out the best canvas shop in your area by asking local opinions, and be sure they use only UV-resistant cloth and thread.

Cruising Canvas Inventory

• A spray dodger with clear Isinglass or Strataglass windows – This is a cruising essential. The center window section should zip open in mild weather. In port you can cover the windows with optional, snap-on nylon screen panels. These increase cockpit privacy and the life span of the plastic, and dampen glare off the water. 

• A Bimini top or sailing awning - Necessary to protect the crew in the cockpit from tropical sun. one or two small, Isinglass or Strataglass windows (with sun covers) will enable you to check the set of the sails from the helm without leaning outboard.

• Full cockpit enclosure – Since sailors spend so much time in the cockpit, it pays to make it a pleasant place to be in all weather conditions. A full enclosure is essentially three removable Sunbrella panels with large, clear Isinglass or Strataglass windows and zippered doors to the side decks. The panels are usually attached to the Bimini, the spray dodger and each other by zippers, and at their bottom edge by snap fittings along the cockpit combing.. This may make more sense in cooler climates than in the tropics.

• Weather panel – In lieu of side panels, you can make up a reversible Sunbrella “weather panel” that extends from the Bimini to the port or starboard cockpit coaming, whichever is to windward, and aft from the after edge of the spray dodger, extending the length of the cockpit. The panel forms a welcomed wall against the elements when beating in rough, wet conditions, permitting crew to sit in the cockpit without being constantly harassed by the wind and soaked by spray and rain. A clear Isinglass or Strataglass window lets you peek to windward for ships without getting a face-full of seawater.

• A battened deck awning that sets above the boom from abaft the mainmast to just overlapping the Bimini - The shade this provides keeps the boat's interior much cooler in tropical harbors. The forward end lashes to the mast and shrouds. A few stiff battens slide into full-width pockets forward, aft and center. The awning is typically hoisted above the boom with the main halyard. Hose fittings should be sewn into the belly of the awning, port & starboard, for rainwater collection.

• A small foredeck awning - This permits the forward hatch to remain open even in the rain, providing welcomed ventilation while at anchor in warm climates.

• Splash screens, also called weather cloths – These panels lash to the lifelines beside the cockpit and not only ward off sea spray, but also block a great deal of the sunlight glare reflected from the water's surface. They also increase privacy in the cockpit. You can sew pockets along the inside of the panels to hold small items. The outside of the cloths can bear the boat's name or racing number, a requirement in some ocean races.

• Lee cloths for the port and starboard settees - to keep crew in a windward bunk while the boat's heeled.

• Sail bags for the staysail and storm trysail – These are best designed so that the staysail remains hanked on when bagged on deck, and the bagged storm trysail could stow ready in its track, at the base of the mast, with sheets attached. Install a grommeted water drainage hole in the bottom of these sail bags to keep them from filling up with water in heavy weather.

• Multi-directional wind scoops - to bring fresh air into overhead hatches while the vessel is in port.

• Sunbrella (or equivalent) covers – a necessity for the mainsail (and mizzen sail, if any). To varying degrees, they will also protect the life raft canister, the barbecue, the outboard motor, the on-deck water and fuel jugs, the dinghy (if carried upright), the water heater and cabin heater Charlie Nobles, the anchor windlass, the winches, the compass binnacle, etc. Winch covers can reduce maintenance by prolonging the life of the grease inside the winches. Light-colored covers will reduce heat by reflecting some of the sunlight.

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