Select Page

There are several ways to improve the upwind performance of a sailing yacht. Read on for some useful tips that should help in the upcoming season.

One of the easiest ways to boost windward performance is to make sure your boat has a clean bottom, as even a coat of thin slime is like towing a bucket behind the boat. By the time green weed starts to grow, the frictional resistance of the hull will be increased by 20-30 per cent. Given enough power, whether from sails or engine, you may still be able to reach a respectable top speed, as wave making resistance starts to greatly outweigh friction. However, when sailing to windward you’re never at top speed and reducing frictional resistance is a much larger part of the overall equation.

yacht preparation

Headsail reefing

Unfortunately, large overlapping furling genoas are not efficient if you’re trying to sail with the wind well forward of the beam in a strong breeze. The problem is that, once the genoa has been furled by more than a few turns the luff becomes very baggy, which reduces the boat’s ability to point close to the wind and increases heel without a corresponding increase in drive.

There’s no doubt therefore that more modern rigs, with a small non-overlapping jib, rather than a large overlapping genoa, are easier to configure for sailing upwind efficiently in a range of conditions. Decent reefing systems will tame the mainsail easily, while the jib won’t need many rolls to reef down to almost storm jib size.

However, some older boats can be successfully modified by changing to a non-overlapping jib and then adding a longer boom to give more mainsail area. This might be expected to increase weather helm, but in fact much of the area of an overlapping genoa behind the mast is also aft of the centre of lateral resistance and therefore contributes to weather helm.

sailing upwind

Heavy weather jibs

An alternative is to fit an additional removable forestay, just behind the main one, on which a separate small jib can be set. This can be a powerful arrangement, especially with a sail designed specifically to be at its optimum in heavy winds, and also makes setting a storm jib easy as it can be hanked to the same stay.

In the past such removable inner forestays were all made of stainless steel rigging wire, but the development of materials such as Dyneema from which rope as strong as steel can be produced means this is now frequently used for the purpose.

sailing up wind

Motor sailing

It’s not surprising that this is a popular move if you have a good distance to travel to windward. In many cases it can give a useful boost to boat speed and allow you to steer closer to the wind than otherwise. However, don’t be tempted to steer directly into the wind as the boat will be slowed by taking waves head on and if the mainsail is allowed to flap this increases drag, as well as damaging the sail cloth.

There is, however, a drawback to relying on the engine for a windward passage in heavy weather. The motion of the boat is likely to disturb any sediment that would otherwise be sitting on the bottom of the fuel tank, with the result that this can block the fuel filters after a period of time and stop the motor. Time to check those filters perhaps?

Boat engine fuel system

If engines are installed and serviced correctly then most marine engines are very reliable, but one of the most important parts of the engine to check and service is the fuel system.

Safety at sea principles

Safety at sea is not as simple as just spending money adding shiny new emergency equipment such as liferafts, danbuoys, distress flares, EPIRBs and so on.

Fixing position at sea using traditional methods

This post looks at some traditional methods used for fixing a vessel’s position at sea, within sight of land. Electronic fixes using chart plotters are very straightforward to record, but if for some reason a vessel’s electronics are faulty it is essential that a skipper knows how to use traditional methods.

Cutless bearing replacement

Cutless bearings can last for many years but if the propeller shaft is out of alignment they will wear through more quickly. If you have noticed a clunking sound when motoring then it could be a worn cutless bearing that is causing the problem.

Antifouling for leisure boats – Part 3

Antifouling is one of the least pleasant boat maintenance jobs to do, but it has to be done. The very worst job of all is removing the old antifouling as this can get seriously messy and is very hard work.

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 6 – Communications

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. This is the sixth of a 10-part post where solo sailor, Bernie Branfield, shares his first-hand account of his single-handed, 2022 Jester Challenge, from Plymouth, UK to the Azores, in his 26′ Invicta Mk2, Louisa.

Common medical emergencies at sea

A medical emergency aboard a boat at sea requires immediate attention to ensure the safety of the casualty and the crew in general. The skipper needs to know which crew members, if any, have had medical training or have a first aid qualification. All boats should carry first aid handbooks to help an untrained crew cope with a medical emergency.

Boat ownership

Owning a boat is a big commitment that should bring no end of satisfaction for the owner as well as the owner's family and friends. In...

What boating skills should you have before you buy a yacht?

Many people dream of owning a yacht and sailing off into the blue yonder. What boating skills should you have before you buy...

How to operate a winch

Winches are drum shaped mechanical devices used to handle halyards, sheets and control lines. One of the important crew...

Wooden Hull Repairs

While wooden boat hull maintenance is mostly straightforward, it is always a good idea to take expert advice on any repair job needed doing to a wooden boat, unless you have done the job before and know what you are doing.

Steel and Aluminium Hulls

The two metals used for hull construction are steel and aluminium. These are both very strong materials and will last a long time as long as they are cared for, which primarily means protecting steel boats from rust and aluminium boats from electrolytic action.

Estimating and plotting your position at sea

This post covers how we go about estimating and plotting our position using traditional methods, when out of sight of land – covering Dead Reckoning, Estimated Position, Tidal Streams, Leeway and more…

Steel hull maintenance

A steel boat owner’s biggest enemy is corrosion. You don’t have to worry about osmosis or rotting timbers, instead rust is the number one issue that will keep you awake at night.

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 5 – Boat Management

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. This is the fifth of a 10-part post where solo sailor, Bernie Branfield, shares his first hand account of his single-handed, 2022 Jester Challenge, from Plymouth, UK to the Azores, in his 26′ Invicta Mk2, Louisa.

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Getting to the Start

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. This is the start of a 10-part post where solo sailor, Bernie Branfield, shares his first hand account of his single-handed, 2022 Jester Challenge, from Plymouth, UK to the Azores, in his 26′ Invicta Mk2, Louisa.

Boat Engine Failure – what to check

Engine failure If your engine fails or is overheating there are a number of things to check immediately: • Air filter...

Stern gear maintenance

The stern gear of a boat needs to be checked carefully when the boat is ashore as this is something that can only be done when it is out of the water. The same applies for any maintenance and repairs that may need doing, so it is best to check it all over as soon after an end of season lift out as possible.

Boat batteries

Under-sized battery banks are one of the key factors behind power failure at sea, as well as the premature failure of batteries, so make sure that your boat battery measures up to the use you want to put it to.

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 4 – Navigation

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. This is the fourth of a 10-part post where solo sailor, Bernie Branfield, shares his first hand account of his single-handed, 2022 Jester Challenge, from Plymouth, UK to the Azores, in his 26′ Invicta Mk2, Louisa.

Leaking decks

Leaking decks are perceived as a nuisance by some boat owners, but if leaks are ignored a much more serious situation may well be developing, especially in the case of boats with balsa or plywood deck cores. So deck leaks do need to be investigated and dealt with.

Seacock maintenance

If seacocks are always left open and neglected they can eventually seize which will prove a serious threat to boat safety should a connecting hose fail and the seacock refuses to close. There are three main types of seacock – ball valves, cone valves and gate valves.

A five day sailing cruise of the Solent, UK

Welcome to our virtual Solent sailing cruise – a five day sail in the south of England from Bosham Quay in Chichester...

Narrowboating on the Kennet and Avon Canal

A recently cancelled sailing event I was due to take part in left us with a free weekend in the diary. Given that my wife and I were celebrating a bumper wedding anniversary and the weather forecast was for fine weather, we decided to hunt around for a last minute canal holiday.

Avoiding personal dangers at sea

In order to stay safe at sea, we need to know the risks we are facing and to be aware of any personal dangers we could possibly encounter. Here are six of the most common potential dangers individual crew members should be aware of.