After our article about the “three reasons why I hate the mainsail furler“, we feel that we must discuss this subject further and give a voice to the numerous yachtsmen who use it with satisfaction. The result is an interesting insight, reflection of a relaxed way to sail which allows to enjoy sailing with no effort.
Without fear, we can thus list the reasons why the mainsail ruler is so loved.
- Because the same what said about the jib furler when it started to appear aboard. Progress can’t be stopped and, today, it is one among the most popular accessories on sailing boats.
- Because we’re not always involved in a regatta; so, it’s beautiful to let the wind push us without the need to constantly look to the LOG in order to verify the speed variations.
- Because, with two sails which can be furled, we can make any manoeuvre with no strain and without going out of the cockpit. This makes sailing attractive for many people, even those who don’t have an athletic body or those who have already celebrated lots of birthdays. Staying in the cockpit when sea and weather conditions are hard is an undeniable advantage.
- Because modern mainsail furlers, as well as the old ones if under a proper maintenance, don’t get stuck. A traditional mainsail which gest stuck on a rail, or worse, in the mast grooves is not an unusual event. When we sail, emergencies can occur and we must be prepared to solve them. Not to mention the insidious web formed by lazy jack, lazy bag, and mainsail battens, where the snag is always around the corner.
- Because, if it’s true that the mainsail furler is ridiculous on a racing boat or inappropriate on the modern boats whose sail plans are typically overlooked by a mainsail, it’s equally true that many sail plans have the genoa as their main sail; so, in this case, performances are not significantly reduced.
- Because sailing boats often use only their genoa. Have you ever wondered why? We all love theory behind our keyboards but, when we sail off, the thought to reach the mast and feel stressed because of a mainsail which doesn’t want to raise puts us off and leads us to unfurl the genoa and use the rudder to compensate for an unbalanced sail plan.
Sailing is a phylosophy, a culture which bring people closer to the sea and navigation. It is, of course, also a sport and, in this case, the mainsail furler is not necessary.
But sailing is,above all ,freedom and all those you agree with this idea generally don’t accept to be set up within a specific stereotype. So, regardless of the mainsail we use, the most important thing is to sail.
