To wrap or not to wrap? – that should not be a question - Preserving your headsai

Sails are an expensive part of a sailboats inventory, costing thousands apiece. As such, they warrant a modicum of due care and attention.

Wherever one goes, one will see boats where the headsail has been furled up with a triangle showing. It is assumed that there is some aesthetic reason for the skipper doing this. Then there is the lazy furling job. The headsail is furled, but the sheets are left loose.

Even though it may be thought to look good or perhaps seaman-like, the problem is that in either of these scenarios, the wind can and will catch the sail. It does not the even require a particularly strong wind for the headsail to become partially of even completely unrolled. The resulting flapping can and will cause catastrophic damage.

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