Ask SAIL: a Bag of Lines
September 24, 2025
You ask, we answered: Ask SAIL is back. Send your questions to sailmail@sailmagazine.com to be featured in the magazine. We have a whole bag of lines
You ask, we answered: Ask SAIL is back. Send your questions to sailmail@sailmagazine.com to be featured in the magazine. We have a whole bag of lines
Q: In one of your recent Ask Sail responses, you wrote about loose-footed mainsails. I have an S2 7.9 that has a rope-footed main.
Q: I’ve been watching the most recent America’s Cup down in Auckland, which has got me thinking about technology and sails. My question is, how
Q: I recently removed my radar’s white radome, which covers the internal rotating antenna. I gave the radome a light sandblasting to clear it of
UNDERPERFORMING SOLAR Q: I have a pair of solar panels on my aft arch feeding to a solar voltage regulator and then feeding my bank
TO VANG OR NOT TO VANG Q: Last year, I bought a new, fully-battened Dacron main for my 36-footer. Unlike the old one, the new
I used Sikkens Cetol on the bare wood on my Catalina 30, Morning Dew IV. The can was compromised over the spring, and I put the balance in a 16oz clean glass mayo jar. Last spring when I went to use it, a skin had formed over the top of the liquid, so I just cut the skin off. It is 1/8in thick. In the future, is it still OK to use?
Q: I have an early ‘70s Catalina 27. The keel bolts look pretty good. My question is, why not glass over the keel to bond
Q: When sailing dead downwind (assume 22 knots of wind), if the main is eased out to 90 degrees relative to the wind (perpendicular to
Q: I’ve sailed and raced on a number of boats over the years. I feel like aboard most of the boats I’ve sailed, we’ve just
42 years ago today, Dennis Connor and his team aboard Liberty lost the longest winning streak in sporting history when Australia II beats them in
When fog sets in or the weather turns, it’s nice to have a second set of eyes on watch. Especially in high traffic areas. I
This past weekend, Baltimore’s Downtown Sailing Center hosted its annual regatta supporting an array of community partnerships and accessible sailing offerings.
Oracle Team USA comes back from an 8:1 deficit in the 2013 America’s Cup, winning 8 consecutive races to beat Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
You ask, we answered: Ask SAIL is back. Send your questions to sailmail@sailmagazine.com to be featured in the magazine. We have a whole bag of lines
Based on its pieces, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the compound word “overbearing” is a term with nautical origins. This synonym for
A sailor debates costly rig upgrades for his Olle Enderlein 36, weighing performance, value, and passion. Is it ever “worth it” with old sailboats?
After six weeks of racing, it all came down to a single day for four of the seven teams competing in The Ocean Race Europe.
With The Ocean Race Europe drawing to a close this weekend, we look back on a very different race finish in 2023, where the teams
Innovation and perseverance deserve to be rewarded, especially when it comes to something as important as anchoring. Mantus Marine has continually improved their chain hook
