"Charlie Morgan" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:15:27 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:


"Scotty" w@u wrote in message
m...
Ed, it is good advice to tie an extra line around a RF sail
when leaving the boat for a while. Many, many, many (
Many,many,many) sails that have been shredded could have
been saved.

Scotty


Not a single hank-on sail has been shredded because they are removed
and
stored below. That's the way sails are supposed to be taken care of.
Not
wound up around the head stay and out in the elements when not being
used.


Yes, I've seen many times how hanked on sails are cared for. It's not
pretty.
Wet, dirty and either quicky stuffed in a bag to molder, or crunched
up and
stuffed through the forward hatch. Roller furling is MUCH kinder to
head sails.

I always have several wraps of the sheets PLUS a sail tie. There is no
issue
with removing the sail tie, because every competent captain does a
walk around
of the boat before leaving the dock or mooring. Only a complete lubber
would
argue with this. I expect that Neal/Nellen/Wilbur the uber-lubber will
have
something to say!

You bet I have something to say. What you described above is all totally
unnecessary. Get rid of the wind-up headsails and you don't need to
worry about the damned thing unrolling and flogging itself to death in a
severe storm. All this nonsense about putting sail ties and wrapping
extra lines around it is all well and good but how many people actually
take the time to do it. Does the guy in the slip right next to your
precious boat do it? Probably not. I bet if he had hank-on sails they
would be stowed safely away. And what do you care about how somebody
else stores their hank-on sails as long as they don't cause you any
problems. with the safety of your boat? Let sloppy sailors stuff them in
the back caked with salt. They aren't gonna jump out of wherever they
happen to be stowed away and smash the crap out of your boat in a storm
and that's a fact.

As for wind-ups being kind to sails. Hah! They sit out in the weather
and the sun. Often the strip of sunblocking material is half rotted away
which means the leech and luff of the sail are also getting eaten away
with UV rays. The whole idea is a mockery of proper seamanship. I
consider every sailboat I see that has wind-up sails a slovenly
proposition. I don't even want to be near them.

Wilbur Hubbard