Hi Dan,

Thanks very much for your feedback. I completely agree — a clean, flat surface like a dock or lawn makes flaking a sail much easier, and doing a 155% genoa on a foredeck definitely adds another level of difficulty.

This video is intended as a simple, step-by-step guide to the process. If you have a slip with a narrow finger beside the boat, one approach that often works well is bringing the foot of the sail onto the finger and having someone on board feed the sail down to the flakers as they work. But when you are restricted to folding entirely on deck, it is definitely a skill that takes practice, especially if you are underway. Deck layouts vary a lot, but with a 155% sail, it is never going to be easy.

There are not many hidden tricks. The fundamentals are the same, but it comes down to assessing whether it makes more sense to lay the sail inside or outside the shrouds to create the least obstructed path to start. In most cases the foredeck offers the most open space, so planning to stack the luff there usually works best. The person at the tack end will need to make wider folds than the person at the clew to keep the stack aligned. As you move higher up the sail, the difference between luff and leech fold widths will naturally decrease. If you are underway in breeze, it can be helpful for the clew-end flaker to carry a few sail ties in their PFD and secure completed flakes as they go, removing them again before rolling the sail.

If you are using a sausage bag, the process can be a bit easier. Laying the bag out unzipped under the sail before you start allows the clew-end flaker to zip it up progressively, helping keep the sail contained as you work. I will definitely keep your suggestion in mind for a future video!

Best regards,
Heather

Hi Ron,

Yes exactly, I think we are saying the same thing. I’m referring to what would be the new guy/old sheet after the pole-less gybe.

Having gybed from starboard to port would not the old sheet have to be trimmed in to get the spinnaker to windward of the jib (rather than pulling on the guy)?

Hi Ron,

Great question! This article is geared specifically towards asymmetrical boats, but you can do a similar manoeuvre with a symmetrical kite — it’s essentially a windward drop. The general concept: headsail up, pole down, gybe the main and headsail while letting the pole-less kite float. As you turn upwind around the mark, pull on the guy and ease the sheet to guide the kite onto the windward side of the headsail/jib, then haul it down inside the headsail/jib.

Heather

Hi B J,

The use of “fairness” in the article is meant in the general sense—ensuring all boats get the same sails. It’s not about poor sportsmanship, but rather a way to remove a variable on the race course. One Design rules do allow a small window for measurements, so a different sailmaker might have a slightly different design. Plus differences in materials, and the age and condition of the sails adds another element. By supplying sails for the entire fleet at once, it keeps things fair for everyone.

On the silicone idea, I’ve never heard of it being used on stitching for aerodynamic reasons, and I don’t think it would make a measurable difference. Modern stitching is already very fine and doesn’t disturb the airflow in a meaningful way. If anything, adding silicone might create more texture than it removes, so any gains would likely be negligible.

Best,
Heather

Say hi to her for me. I talk with Brian Nickerson and Mark Ketelson frequently, her old shipmates. Good luck!