We knew our old mainsail was in borderline condition when we set off from the Canary Islands bound for North America. The old sail had served us well for five years of tropical cruising and had driven our Mason 43 more than 30,000 miles. But the Dacron panels were getting so soft and the stitching so brittle that we kept our fingers crossed every time we jibed or let the sail flog for a moment.
It finally started to come apart in the mid-Atlantic when we were hit by a series of blustery trade-wind squalls. First one seam, then another began to unzip, leaving the sail looking like louvered blinds. Luckily, the Dacron panels, tired though they were, did not tear. The stitching was another matter.
SAILRITEJoyce Morin uses a Sailrite LSZ-1 sewing machine to repair her torn genoa after a squall in the Tuamotu atolls of French Polynesia.
Out came the bosun's bag, the sail thread, needles, palm and vise grips, and inch by inch we began the laborious process of re-stitching the panels together. All told during that 20-day passage we re-stitched more than 60 feet of seam, one backstitch after another. By the end we were getting pretty good at it. But there wasn't an hour spent with the needle and palm that we didn't pine for a sewing machine.
Over our time at sea we have mended many spinnakers that have blown out or been dragged under the boat; we have re-stitched mainsails and genoas, and repaired many a batten pocket. Although not sailmakers, we are heavy sail users and thus have had to develop a few basic skills to keep sails in working condition and the boat moving.
Most of our cruising and offshore racing friends have similar experiences and most, in time, develop a few skills in the sailmaking line. For most of us, the goal is to keep the sail together long enough to find a trained sailmaker down the road. For some, the craft of sail repair becomes an avocation as they learn the art. That is why it is common to find cruisers out there who are not only capable sailmakers and repair artists but also creative builders of dodgers, Biminis, awnings and dinghy covers. For the truly handy, basic sail repair can evolve into a fine way to maintain the cruising kitty. But for most, simple stop-gap sail repairs are all we ever aspire to. The following few tips are designed to help you get home without having to motor all the way.
CARRY THE RIGHT TOOLS
The list of tools you may need to affect a repair at sea or in a remote anchorage is quite long (see table). There are several specific tasks you will need to undertake and the tools should fit the job. A lot of the work will have to be done by hand and in most instances you will be repairing a seam or a tear with stitching and a patch.
Adhesives, seamstick and spare sailcloth in different weights should be on hand as well as a variety of hand tools including a sailmaker's palm, various weights of thread and various sizes of needles. Vise grips and a sharp awl will help you get a stitch through multiple layers of cloth. A grommeting tool, spare grommets, spare O- and D-rings and sail slides all belong in the bosun's bag.
SEWING MACHINES
Years ago offshore sailors used to scrounge through thrift stores and antique shops for hand-crank Singer sewing machines; some would even convert a treadle Singer by adapting a hand crank to the machine.
Today the sewing machine of choice is supplied by Sailrite. Their machines are powerful, robust and designed to withstand the unfriendly marine environment. If you have 110 or 220 volts aboard, an electric machine will make repairs easy. But if you are a back-to-basics type, then a hand-crank machine will suffice.
We have sailed with and without sewing machines aboard and would always prefer to have one when the time comes to undertake major repairs.
UNDERSTAND YOUR SAILS
To make repairs that work you need to understand how your sails were built in the first place and which direction the major loads flow through the sail. Before you set out, spend some time with your sailmaker, who will be able to show you how the woven or laminated panels are put together and the how the heaviest stress loads are carried by the fabric, seams and laminations.
He or she will also be able to recommend (and sell you) the weights of spare sailcloth you should carry and the supplies of seamstick (double-stick tape) that will help in many repairs.
