To hand a sail is to take it in – to lower it, gather it and secure it so it is no longer drawing. “Hand the jib” means drop and stow the jib; “hand the spinnaker” means get the kite down. The word has three related meanings that a sailor uses without thinking:
- As a verb: to hand a sail is to furl, lower or take it in.
- As a noun: a hand is a member of the crew – a deckhand, an able hand, “all hands on deck”.
- In phrases: to “bear a hand” is to help; to haul “hand over hand” is to pull a line in with alternating hands; “hand, reef and steer” is the traditional threefold test of a competent seaman.
The connection is obvious once you have gathered a flogging genoa on a wet foredeck: sails were handed by hands, and the crew who did it became known by the tool they used. The experienced sailor’s addition is that handing a sail well is as much about the helm as the foredeck – a boat steered properly makes a sail come down quietly, while a boat steered badly turns the same job into a fight.
What Handing a Sail Involves
Handing a hanked or luff-groove headsail means easing the halyard, pulling the sail down by the luff, gathering the body of the sail along the foot and lashing or bagging it before it goes over the side. On a roller furler the same job is done by rolling the sail away, though most sailors would say they are furling rather than handing it. Handing the mainsail means lowering it into lazy jacks or a stackpack, or flaking it on the boom. Handing a spinnaker is the most involved: the sheet is eased or released, the guy or tack line blown, and the sail gathered under the boom or through the forehatch while the halyard is lowered at the speed the crew can swallow the cloth.
When to Hand Sail
The right moment is almost always earlier than you think. A genoa that is overpowering the boat is slow and hard on the gear; a spinnaker carried too long in a rising breeze becomes a wrap or a broach. Cruisers hand sail to reduce heel, to ease the motion, before entering harbour and before dark if the forecast is unsettled. Racers hand sail as part of a change – dropping the light number one to hoist the heavy, or handing the kite at the leeward mark – and the quality of the hand decides whether the boat exits the mark at full speed or wallows with cloth in the water.
Cruising and Racing Perspectives
For the cruising sailor the priority is control and safety. Bear away so the mainsail blankets the headsail and the pressure comes off it; ease the sheet as the halyard comes down, not before, so the sail does not flog; keep the crew inboard and clipped on. Lazy jacks and a stackpack turn handing the main into a one-person job.
For the racer speed matters, but the sequence is the same. On a spinnaker drop the helm bears away, the pit waits for the bowman’s call, the trimmer keeps the sail flying until the crew has the foot in hand, and then the halyard runs. Letting the halyard go early is the classic mistake – the sail lands in the water, acts as a sea anchor and takes three people to recover.
Handing Sail Without Damaging It
From the sailmaker’s point of view, handing is where sails get hurt. A few habits make them last:
- Flake, do not stuff: laminate and load-path sails such as Tape-Drive® and Titanium™ should be flaked or rolled along the foot. Crumpling them into a bag creases the film and shortens their life.
- Keep the sail out of the water: salt water and a dragging sail mean chafe, stretched leeches and lost battens.
- Dry before storing: a sail handed wet and left in its bag will mildew, and mildew stains are permanent on most cloths.
Frequently Asked Questions about Handing Sail
What does “hand, reef and steer” mean?
It is the traditional definition of an able seaman: someone who can take in sail, reef sail and steer the ship. In the age of sail you were not rated able until you could do all three.
Is handing a sail the same as furling it?
Not quite. Handing is the general act of taking a sail in; furling is one way of stowing it once handed, by rolling or bundling it onto a boom, stay or furling drum.
Which sail should I hand first when the wind rises?
On most sloops, reef the main first to keep the helm balanced, then reduce the headsail. If you have to hand a sail completely, hand the one that is making the boat hardest to steer – usually a big overlapping genoa on a masthead rig.
Handing sail is unglamorous, and that is exactly why it separates good crews from lucky ones. Do it early, steer the boat to help the foredeck, keep the sail dry and flaked, and every sail you own will set better and last longer for it.