Next we take a look at the leech of the sail.
Hopefully you have a leech line in the fold of the sail and its intact and has an easy method of securing it if you put tension on the line. You should never try to flatten the sail by just tightening up the mainsheet. Once you reach a point, use the leech line or if you have it use a flattening reef grommet to tighten the leech of the sail along with the leech line.
As you go over the leech of the sail, check out the batten pockets.
A batten should have a reasonable amount of tension placed on it by the elastic at the bottom of the pocket. What usually happens is the elastic goes bad and to compensate for bad elastic we put a longer batten into the pocket. Bad Idea! Again it distorts the sail and overrides the sail makers design. Tapered battens are good, and the lighter the better. When they are snug in the pocket, one option is to sew the pocket closed. If you have a sewing machine and are handy, you might attempt lifting the leading edge of the batten pocket and replacing the elastic, then stitching the pocket back down.
Finish by checking all the seams.
Don't be afraid to pull on a seam and try to tear it apart - better for it to separate in your hands on the dock than while hard on the wind trying to claw your way off a rocky shore or while trying to make the next mark in one tack and get the jump on the rest of the fleet.
If you spot potential sail problems like these, it's important to act fast. The sooner you catch them, the better the odds for getting your sails back to like-new condition. For the best in sail cleaning, sail restoration, and sail repair, you can count on Sail Care. We've been giving new life to old sails for two decades.
