Aug 07 2007
Sails for Broke.
My San Juan 21 “Limpet” came with a full compliment of Sails when I bought her in October 2007. Unfortunately all the sails appear to be original 1974 equipment.
They all have the tattered remains of the Clark boat company logo sewn into the foot, and they are all dirtier than a Tijuana politician, and more neglected than a televangelist’s conscience. The San Juan logo and numbers had long ago fallen off, though they did leave a slightly lighter area of dingy grey as a memory of where they had once resided.
I know that I will not be competitive with these sails, but lets face it new racing Sails are one of the most expensive investments one is every likely to make in a San Juan 21, and I think The Capital Review Board (a.k.a. my wife) is still questioning the initial round of funding which went to purchasing the boat about a year ago. I asked some of the fleet 1 members about new sails and they run over $1000 depending on what you want. Obviously this is not going to fit my sailing budget this year.
Even with the ominous price tag I need to get new sails. I am more than a little embarrassed sailing in a regatta with dingy dirty sails. Did I mention that I made my own sail numbers out of black tape? Seriously look at my sails vs. Rascal…
What I need is a set of sails which is used but not abused. My only hope is that someone out there who is a more serious racer than I will buy a new set of sails and be willing to part with their old set. Or maybe someone who has bought a boat for primarily for cruising and would be willing to downgrade to my old sails.
My plan is to post a message on the harbor and see if I can get any takers. My budget must be under $500 to get main & jib. I think this could be the single best improvement on the performance of Limpet this year. Then I just need to worry about improving her captain.