In the world of sailboat standing rigging there are three common materials used, stainless steel wire, Nitronic 50 rod, and various types of synthetic fibers, which are becoming more and more popular. I want to talk today about Nitronic 50 stainless steel rod. This specific type of stainless steel is very strong and noble. Rod…
With the usual suspects, Team Brunel, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Donfeng Racing, atop the leader board; the Chinese team lost a halyard. This snag led to a night time trip aloft (eeeek!) and a position loss. 3rd place is currently being held by Mapfre, but with only 7NM as a buffer, the Spanish entry will need…
What are the options when considering a boat that tacks its own sails from one point-of-sail to another. Newer boats are being designed a bit more mast forward, with taller masts and bigger mainsails. These newer designs are predominately main driven and implement a smaller self-tending jib (shown below), which helps with pointing when going upwind. If you…
The chainplate is typically a metal plate used to fasten a stay to the boat. One end of the chainplate has a hole for the pin of the turnbuckle, the remainder of the chainplate is used to attach the plate to the boat via a bulkhead, knee, tie rod or the hull itself. Chainplates get their name…
Here is a really unique story that has surely left an everlasting impression in yachting history… In October 1968 the Sunday Times sponsored the worlds first single handed around the world race, The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. This is the race that helped make Sir Robin Knox Johnston the sailing legend he is today. This…
So you have taken the mast out to get some work done or you are simply storing the boat for the winter? Well, now is the time to consider the mast step and deck collar. Just like chain plates, mast steps and deck collars often get overlooked. If you have recently removed the mast on…
Many people these days are looking towards synthetics or to un-coated stainless steel to replace their lifelines over the traditional vinyl coated lifelines of the past. First, let’s talk a little bit about the cons of using vinyl coated wire: the wire cannot be visually inspected for failure, the wire is typically made from a…
What a better way then to end the year with one of our last trips aloft for 2014? This was taken early November and was one of the last views from aloft for the year. Here we were aloft to conduct another one of our Rigging Safety Inspections. Maryland Yacht Club offers one of the…
…well, maybe. If you’ve not heard by now, the Volvo Ocean Race Team Vestas Wind smashed into the earth several days ago. The boat grounded in the Indian Ocean Off of the southeast coast of Africa on the Cargados Carajos Shoals (St. Brandon), some 260 miles north east of Mauritius. Here is the latest edit of…
Reefing or reducing a conventional/non-furling mainsail can be done by way of either a slab or a single line reef system. Today I want to talk about the difference between the two reef systems and how they should be set up. FIRST: Read below for a few thoughts on reefing procedure When reefing, conditions are…
The concept of how to properly adjust a turnbuckle seems to sometimes elude most people. This is understandable as I didn’t used to spend my days thinking about tightening cables, like I do now. So let’s take a moment to discuss how this is done properly. There are generally three different styles of turnbuckles. Yes, there are a…
Tomorrow early afternoon begins my favorite event in sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race….. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY4iT1nGegc&w=560&h=315] Alicante, Spain will host tomorrow’s in-port race as well as the start of the world’s most epic ’round the world battle….. and this time it’s one design baby! Be sure to catch all of the action LIVE on the official www.volvooceanrace.com website. I…
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