How do you step the mast on your trailerable sailboat, with a gin pole? With the trailer winch? With the help of friends or family? With your fingers crossed? No single system works for every sailboat or for every skipper. If you’re new to mast stepping, you don’t like your current method, or you just…
Category: Mast
Product Review: MastGates Sail Track Gates
Do you know how to reef your mainsail when the wind gets overpowering? If not, you really should learn how. If you already know, is your sailboat rigged so that you can reef and unreef quickly in high winds while underway? If not, besides a jiffy reefing line like I describe in Single line jiffy reefing, you’re…
How to Add an Anchor Light For Less
Early on in our sailing career, the first mate and I discovered that we really enjoy anchoring out overnight. The bays in the North Idaho lakes where we cruise are surrounded by snow-capped mountains, covered by crystal clear starry skies, and afford plenty of privacy. The problem was, Summer Dance didn’t have an anchor light, which…
Install Oversize Masthead Sheaves for More Halyard Choices
When planning the replacement of my wire/rope halyards with all line halyards so that I could lead them aft to the cockpit, I decided to use all 8mm (.314″) rope. Along with cockpit convenience for single-handing, I wanted easier line handling and less stretch, especially for hardening the luffs since I don’t have halyard winches. The…
Build Your Own Mast Gates
In order for any mainsail reefing system to work correctly with a mast that has a slug opening for bending on the mainsail, there should be a way to prevent the sail slugs from falling out of the opening when you reef the sail. If they fall out, somebody has to guide them back in when you let the…
The $tingy Sailor 