It seems like when sailors talk about sailing and boats and whatnot, the conversation between guys naturally turns to gear. I’m not sure what the girls talk about other than throw pillows and silicone bakeware. But with guys it’s all batteries, chartplotters, AIS, watermakers, and solar power.

Rarely does anyone ask about the unsung heros of the sailboat. The things that make them a sailboat.

The sails.

They go on day by day as the workhorse you don’t even think about–neglect, even. Until one day something goes wrong and you find yourself spending a lot of money on those pieces of golden cloth.

For us, that something was a nasty squall last summer off of Marco Island on the way to Marathon, resulting in a battered genoa (the big sail way up at the front of the boat). The sail itself wasn’t destroyed, but the green fabric UV protector strip had been ripped to shreds.

The biggest issue with this is all the stray strips of cloth the can wrap around the sail and tie itself into knots, making it nearly impossible for you to get the sail down.

So once we got to Marathon, I procrastinated for a week or so and finally pulled it down to ship it off for repair.

My sailing mentor Mark has been telling me about this place, SailCare, that he’s been sending his sails to for years. He’s had nothing but good things to say about them, so that’s where we sent it.

I got the sail back this week, but haven’t had a chance to open it up yet, so I’ll have to make this a “to be continued…” situation. And when it does continue, I’ll tell you about how we broke down and ordered brand new mizzen and main sails.

To be continued…