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Are you legal?
Many of the racing authorities here in the UK use
the Offshore Racing Council's Special Regulations to govern the standards
of safety equipment needed aboard whilst racing. One section of the
Special Regulations deals with Storm and Heavy Weather Sails in particular.
Most people are aware of the need to carry storm sails, not only to
comply with the rules but also to provide propulsion in severe weather.
What is not so widely know is what sails are needed aboard for a particular
race.
Below is an outline of the minimum needed to comply with the regulations
for Category 2 (Fastnet etc), Category 3 (Cross Channel etc) and Category
4 (Coastal and Inshore) races.
• Category 2: Storm Trysail; Storm Jib
• Category 3: Storm Trysail or Mainsail reefing to reduce luff
by at least 40%; Heavy Weather Jib
• Category 4: as Category 3
Both the Storm Trysail and Storm Jib need to be made of highly visible
coloured material or have a highly visible patch on either side.
This time of year is the ideal opportunity to make sure your Storm
and Heavy Weather Sails are up to scratch for next year. At Banks
Sails we can check over your existing sails and service as necessary
to ensure they do not let you down when they are needed. We can add
High Visibility patches to existing sails and, of course, we would
be very happy to build you new sails!
If you have any questions regarding Storm and Heavy Weather Sails
please do not hesitate to contact me at the loft.
Hugh Myers,
7.11.00
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