Furl it up with 3 or 4 turns of the sheets around the sail, wrap them on the sheet winches and lock them in place. This stops them thrashing around and working the headsail on the furler.

Most importantly, robustly secure the furling line on a cockpit cleat so that it cannot come off. The furling line and sheets are then working against each other to hold the sail tight.


I'll tell you how well it works when I get up to the boat on Saturday.

Yeah make sure the head sail is rolled up nice and tight. This may mean letting it out again at the mooring/marina and making a proper job of it. I also remove my sheet ropes (so the sun can't have its evil way with them) and put a bit of old rope on the clew that attaches back to the mast (spinnaker attachment point). And like the guys above, make sure it was around the sail about 4 times when the furling line is pulled tight and cleated off.

My furling lines go into rope clutches. But is your are using something less secure than maybe a few knots wouldn't go astray. Think of it this way. Would you hang off a cliff by a rope that is secured the same way you are currently securing your furling line. to be sure, to be sure

LMY said..
With the recent weather in NSW we have seen a number of boats where the headsail has come loose on the furler. i always worry about the headsail, as it is a possible cause of major damage in bad weather. The minimum damage can be a ruined sail, high end would be destruction of the rig.

For me removing the sail is not really an option so when packing up the boat I always tie a length or rope around the headsail at the clew. One end tied to the clew then around the sail and tie off. Hopefully this will provide some additional security if the furling line was to come loose. The sheets are coiled and tied to the handrail, though this is more about elimination of one spot where the swallows sit and poop!

What do others do to secure the headsail?

this is my way as well , .........the extra line around the headsail , but i leave the sheets on .........

I am against trussing up head sails or main sails with cords. Every little movement "jiggle" will cause severe chafe or in cases cut through the sail in a relatively short time. If there is sufficient warning my approach is to remove the sails. On leaving the mainsail on the boom I use slightly slack shock cord ties to keep it folded in place then rely on the cover to keep it in place again taking care not to truss up the cover but tie/clip it on securely.

The best solution for the head sail is a sock: my friend has one and I can't fault it, easy to put on and easy to remove.

See here for an example: sailrite.wordpress.com/tag/jib-sock/ the video is worth while.

A properly secured cover is the only way I know to to avoid this:

Important not to truss the sail too tight or the ties will ct through the material quickly.






All the best and safe sailing.

Looking at the stuffing around to fit a sock around a furled sail, you might as well just drop the sail off the furler and stow below. This of course, assumes you have enough time to get to the boat before the storm hits. (And get back to shore!)