Excerpted from How to Sail Around the World by Hal Roth.
A basic problem with sailing vessels is chafe – things rubbing against one another to destruction – and I refer to it again and again in this book. If a piece of line rubs against a sharp metal corner, theres a good chance that the line will be ruined or cut in two in a few hours. But if protected by a piece of hose or by better routing, perhaps by a way of a smooth block, a line will last for years. Veteran sailors are always looking at their rigs when under sail to check three things:
– the trim of each sail and the whole rig together
– whether the sails are suitable for the current wind strength
– whats rubbing on what
To suggest what can be done, I made two circumnavigations with the same main halyard on my 50-footer. (I end-for-ended the -inch diameter line after 30,000 miles to put a new section around the masthead sheave.) But Ive also ruined new lines in a few hours because I got sloppy and inattentive.
For more cruising lessons, advice and stories, purchase Hal Roths How to Sail Around the World from Practical Sailor.
