http://www.bwsailing.com^13BWScircumstances, I probably wouldn’t let either the
lack of a proper sail repair kit or lack of experi-
ence stop me. Please don’t tell any sailmakers
where you got the idea, but if forced to do so, I
might even stoop to using Duct tape to repair a
sail. Of course, it will need to be cut away later,
further causing damage to the sail, but in an
emergency, a lot of things will work in the short
term that you may regret in the longer term. I
will caution, however, that the use of 5200 for
sail repair does require parental supervision and a
complete disregard for doing things the right way.
A few words to the wise would include, “take
care of your sails but be well prepared for the
‘unforeseen.’” Eventually, the unforeseen will
happen and having the right kind of sail repair
kit and some knowledge of how to use it will
serve you very well.
Bill Biewenga is a navigator, delivery skipper and
weather router. His website is http://www.weather4sailors.
com. He can be contacted at [email protected]