Yachting Monthly - November 2015

EXPERT ON BOARD

NOVEMBER 2015 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 15

‘The problems come from

badly cut sails, poor

set-up and incorrect use’

Purists, racers and speed merchants object

to furling mainsails on the grounds that

they don’t point as well and they’re less

powerful than conventional sails. They are

correct, although the

difference is much less

than it used to be. The

question is, do you really

want to extract that extra

power and performance?

‘The loss of power is a

benefi t for us,’ explains

Barrie. ‘The more easily

manageable the boat is,

the more relaxing and

enjoyable most people

will fi nd the sailing.’

‘We don’t want to

scare people and we

don’t care about a small

loss of speed. Battling

a fl ogging monster, or

driving a boat too hard,

is enough to put many people off sailing.’

Barrie is a strong proponent of the more

laid-back approach to sailing: ‘Each to their

own, but the expectation that things have to

be optimised for performance comes from

the racing fraternity.

‘The whole essence of the systems we have

is that they are meant to make things as easy

as possible. For novice or nervous sailors, or

those just wanting to relax, easy means fun.’

We might be reluctant to admit it but

many of us prefer to sail safely and in

comfort even if it means we arrive an hour

or two later. You may never touch a furling

mainsail, but you probably have a furling

headsail. Using your furling sails properly

will save you sweat and tears, as well as

frayed furling lines and nerves.

What do you want

from your sailing?

Barrie’s boats sail thousands of miles every year with furling sails

Whether pottering from Portsmouth or chartering in Greece, furling sails can take the stress out of sailing, as long as they are working properly

An overpowered

yacht with a

fl ogging mainsail

leads to stressful,

ineffi cient sailing

PHOTO: GRAHAM SNOOK/YM