sailboat sail riding

[email protected]

• Knowledge Base
• Data Center

Understanding the use of riding sail

From Practical sailor, the full article can be found here .

There are four common factors that can cause an anchor to drag, (assuming it is well designed and ideally matched to your boat): poor bottom, short scope, insufficient shock absorption, and yawing.

The effects of a boat yawing at anchor can often go unnoticed until it is too late. Constant yawing prevents an anchor from setting deeply, and because the rode tension of a boat sailing vigorously at anchor is typically 50-100 percent greater than one resting quietly, it may cause the anchor to slowly walk downwind.

Using a riding sail. A riding sail functions both by pushing the transom back in line when the boat sails to one side, and by increasing windage at the stern, steadying the pull on the rode. Traditional one-dimensional riding sails work by encouraging the boat to rest at a slight angle to the wind. These triangular panels are rigged from the backstay and sheeted to a side cleat at a 15- to 20-degree angle to the boat's centerline.

A riding sail functions both by pushing the transom back in line when the boat sails to one side, and by increasing windage at the stern, steadying the pull on the rode. Traditional one-dimensional riding sails work by encouraging the boat to rest at a slight angle to the wind. These triangular panels are rigged from the backstay and sheeted to a side cleat at a 15- to 20-degree angle to the boat's centerline. This causes the boat to ride at an angle of about 10 degrees to the wind. The stabilizing force on one tack comes from the sail, and the stabilizing force on the other tack comes from the side of the boat. Because the boat generally lies to one side, the wind load is higher, even when the sail itself is aligned with the wind. Three-dimensional Y- and V-shaped riding sails, including the Fin-Delta and V-Delta, set in alignment with the boat's centerline, providing a correcting force on either side when the boat yaws, as well as some steadying drag force even when aligned with the wind.

The weakness of anti-yawing strategies at the bow, including chain and kellets, is that they fail when they are needed most when the wind really howls. A riding sail, on the other hand, works by correcting the aerodynamic balance of the boat, in both light winds and extreme weather.

A conventional riding sail will reduce mild yawing, but its effectiveness is limited and wed not use it in storm force winds. after all, Its 19th-century technology.

https://www.vikinganchors.com/products/viking-anchor

photo from https://sailrite.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/how-to-use-an-anchor-riding-sail/

• Our advantages
• Anchors Measurements
• How to Choose Your Anchor
• How Puller Groove Works
• Why Choose Us
• Activate My Warranty

• AMERICA'S CUP
• VENDÉE GLOBE
• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Use the Magic of a Riding Sail at Anchor

Related Articles

• New Sailboats
• Sailboats 21-30ft
• Sailboats 31-35ft
• Sailboats 36-40ft
• Sailboats Over 40ft
• Sailboats Under 21feet
• used_sailboats
• Apps and Computer Programs
• Communications
• Fishfinders
• Handheld Electronics
• Plotters MFDS Rradar
• Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments
• Anchoring Mooring
• Running Rigging
• Sails Canvas
• Standing Rigging
• Diesel Engines
• Off Grid Energy
• Cleaning Waxing
• DIY Projects
• Repair, Tools & Materials
• Spare Parts
• Tools & Gadgets
• Cabin Comfort
• Ventilation
• Footwear Apparel
• Foul Weather Gear
• Mailport & PS Advisor
• Inside Practical Sailor Blog
• Activate My Web Access
• Reset Password
• Customer Service

• Free Newsletter

Tartan 37 Used Boat Review

C&C 33 Mark II Used Boat Review

Island Packet 350 Used Boat Review

Beneteau 393 Used Boat Review

How to Create a Bullet-Proof VHF/SSB Backup

Tips From A First “Sail” on the ICW

Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions

Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors

Are Wrinkles Killing Your Sail Shape?

Superlight Anchors: Not Just for Racers

Refining Furling Line Fairleads

Revive Your Mast Like a Pro

Diesel-Electric Hybrids Vs. Electric: Sailing’s Auxiliary Power Future

Sailing Triteia: Budget Bluewater Cruising

How To Keep Pipe Fittings Dry: Sealant and Teflon Tape Tests

How Much Does it Cost to Own a Sailboat in Quebec,…

Anode Basics: Dos and Don’ts

What’s The Best Bottom Paint?

Boat Hook and Fender Hacks

Product Hacks: Velcro, Bounce, Anti-Skid Mats and Pool Lights

Stopping Holding-tank Odors

Giving Bugs the Big Goodbye

Galley Gadgets for the Cruising Sailor

Cold Weather Clothes to Extend the Sailing Season

Five Best Gloves: Sailing and DIYing in All Weather

Sailing Gear for Kids

What’s the Best Sunscreen?

R. Tucker Thompson Tall Ship Youth Voyage

On Watch: This 60-Year-Old Hinckley Pilot 35 is Also a Working…

On Watch: America’s Cup

On Watch: All Eyes on Europe Sail Racing

Dear Readers

• Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear
• Boat Maintenance

Make Your Own Over-the-Boom Riding Sail

Delighted with the performance of the over-the-boom riding sail, we decided to make our own.

To measure, we outlined the proposed sail area with -inch rope and measurer the resulting edge lengths. The rope ran from starboard stern cleat, over the boom (raised 30 degrees) to the port cleat, and then forward about 75 percent of the length of the boom, and down to the starboard cleat again. The forward corner was secured to the mast with a length of line.

The lines were then lashed together at a point about shoulder high to simulate the clew position, making sure the sheet angle bisected the proposed clew angle. Because each boat behaves differently at anchor, consider using a polyethylene tarp to build a mock-up.

You can reduce the area of a large sail by narrowing the Y or V or lowering the boom, but a smaller sail will be more robust in strong winds. The corners should be reinforced like any jib. Because the riding sail might be used in very strong winds, use storm weight sailcloth and stitch rugged hems that are at least 1.5 to 2 inches wide, or reinforce all edges with webbing. Corner patches must be heavy. All riding sails are cut flat, with no broadseam.

Conventional sail kits are available from Sailrite ( www.sailrite.com ). When measuring be careful your chosen design it does not interfere with your bimini or dodger and be sure to confirm the forward clew angle.

A note on fabrics. Although polyester (Dacron) sailcloth has coatings that provide UV protection, no sail material is impervious to the sun. Unprotected Dacron will begin to fail within three years of continuous exposure. Top Gun and Sunbrella have more UV resistance, but they stretch-and Sunbrella is vulnerable to chafe. PS is currently researching paints for UV protection of sails, but final results will not be available for several years.

Our provisional suggestion is Amazon Inflatable Paint in gray. For use at anchor we would use the same weight sailcloth as used on the mainsail. For use on a mooring we recommend increasing the fabric weight and painting the sail for UV protection.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

I misunderstood the design and from Pic #2 I thought the riding sail had a spine between the front triangle and the aft triangles. I had seen a design like that over 10 years ago and figured that was the concept here.

So I went ahead and made mine like that. It has two aft triangles and one leading triangle. Turned out great even if not the design intended.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Log in to leave a comment

Latest Videos

J Boats J/9 Sailboat Review and Boat Tour

3 Tips for a Dry Boat – DIY Boat Maintenance 101

Jeanneau’s New Rule Breaking Sailboat – Sun Odyssey 350 Boat Review

A Fiberglass Cleaning Boat Hack You Have To Try!

Latest sailboat review.

• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell My Personal Information
• Online Account Activation
• Privacy Manager

• Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email
• What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media
• Media New media New comments
• Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com
• Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale
• Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday
• Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe

Riding Sail -- Use and Sources

• Thread starter seanmadian
• Start date Apr 26, 2021
• Forums for All Owners
• Ask All Sailors

Hello all -- My boat (a 2009 Hunter 45) tends to dance quite a bit at anchor. I rigged lines to the chain and each of the bow cleats and that helped a bit. Doing some more digging, I learned about Riding Sails. My two questions for the forum are: 1. Have you tried a riding sail and if so, did it work? 2. Do you have any sources for riding sails? On the second question, I have found a "DIY" version for about $100 and ready-to-go for over $700 so quite a variance. Our boat does NOT have a backstay so anything we use will have to be rigged to the topping lift. Thank you in advance, Sean & Lori Halayah Rhea Seattle, WA  

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

You can invest in a riding sail, I suspect the Sailrite kit is a pretty good DIY package. Or you can try out just about anything to get an idea how it would work. Even a pair of grand ma's bloomers hanging from the topping lift will give you an idea of the affect it will have. I would think about a piece of tarp folded and tied onto the boom/topping lift would be enough to give you an understanding of the function. The issue is all the free board the boats have. They function as a sail.  

I built a SailRite riding sail a few years back. It is a pretty easy afternoon project. So far it has spent about 10 years sitting on the boat in the sailbag taking up space.  

Thank you ALL for the replies.... Can't say I'll be strapping a set of Grannie's bloomers to the boom any time soon, but if the need should arise, it's a good backup. Save travels to everyone! Sean  

seanmadian said: ....(snip) I'll be strapping a set of Grannie's bloomers to the boom Click to expand

quadrille38

I use a FinDelta riding sail and it works great On my 38. you might want to do a search in the archives as this topic has been extensively discussed and there are some other very helpful suggestions.  

I have used a riding sail to good effect. It is a plain sail, made by ATN I believe, and not the delta sails shown here already. I have experimented with another aspect of anchoring that has actually cut down on the swinging quite a bit, even without the riding sail. Instead of running the nylon bridle directly from the anchor chain to the bow cleats, I run the two nylon lines through the bow roller and then to the cleats. The lever arm of the bow roller ahead of the hull seems to be effective in dampening swings.  

sail sfbay said: Using your topping lift to attach a riding sail is a good plan. Sailrite sells a kit for $108 Anchor Riding Sail Kit (12.5 sq. ft.) - Sailrite You can buy one here for $455 FinDelta #2 "Classic" Anchor Riding Sail for Boats 33 to 46 Feet (bannerbaymarine.com) Photos of a riding rails rigged on Hunter sailboats: View attachment 193241 View attachment 193244 View attachment 193245 Click to expand

Tom J said: running the nylon bridle directly from the anchor chain to the bow cleats Click to expand

NotCook said: Making one bridle side shorter than the other, so that boat stays to one side, will stop it from sailing back and forth. Click to expand

thinwater said: BUT, you are comparing a product that is many times more effective. Not apples to apples. (I have tested them side-by-side.) Click to expand

AdamCermak said: Plus, just for more fun, I have a split back stay. Any ideas?Thanks in advance, Click to expand

Thanks for the thought. My back stays are very far apart at the cockpit/transom, so I don't know that this would work for the 381. Keep the ideas flowing, though!  

A Bimini or a spilt backstay are not really a problem for a traditional riding sail, just hoist the sail above the Bimini. Attach the tack to one leg of the backstay and run the clew line to the opposite side (a traditional riding sail should be slightly angled to keep the wind slightly off to one side). I do it this way all the time, it works great. Bit of a struggle to reach over the bimini to attach the hanks, but I can do it. No halyard is more of a problem. You can't use your main halyard if you have in mast furling. The other options I can think of are a flag halyard, or use your spinnaker halyard. I might worry about chafe if I used the spinnaker halyard for days and days. Or of coarse you could add a new halyard.  

• This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more…

• Sails & Canvas
• Hull & Structure
• Maintenance
• Sailing Stories
• Sailing Tips
• Boat Reviews
• Book Reviews
• The Dogwatch

Select Page

Quit Horsing Around

Posted by Steve Christensen | Sailing Tips

Use a riding sail to steady your boat at anchor

You’re all settled in for the night in that well-protected cove, when the wind picks up. What had been a nice quiet anchorage is now alive with motion as the wind causes the boats to weave back and forth on their anchor rodes. Your boat rolls and jerks from one “tack” to another, and you begin to worry about what all this motion is doing to the set of your anchor. Your nice quiet evening is now anything but restful.

Most people call this weaving back and forth “sailing at anchor.” But my favorite nickname for the activity is “horsing around” because the image it creates is so descriptive of the motion. And while the name may sound like fun, the motion it describes can lead to real problems.

What causes this phenomenon? For most boats, the center of effort (or windage) of the topsides and rigging is well forward of the underwater center of lateral resistance. This means the boat is out of balance while on the hook, and doesn’t really want to weathercock. Whenever the boat drifts backward during a gust (or there is a slight change in the wind direction) the bow will fall off faster than the stern, putting the boat broadside to the wind. Once that happens, the bow continues to fall off, and the boat will “sail” away in the new direction, up to as much as 30 to 40 degrees off the wind, until brought up short by the rode.

It seems as if the boat should eventually settle down, given a steady wind. But in reality, the wind is never steady in either direction or strength for very long. During the lulls, the boat is drawn forward by the weight of the rode (creating slack), only to fall back and turn broadside during the gusts.

Why all the concern? Well, at the very least, all this weaving back and forth can make things uncomfortable down below. More importantly, it is quite possible for two boats anchored side by side to get “out of phase” while sailing at anchor and actually collide. We witnessed this a few seasons ago while anchored in Bear Drop Harbor in the North Channel on a day with gusty 25-to-30-knot winds. Two nearby anchored boats began to sheer, on opposite tacks, and exactly out of phase. The boats kept getting closer and closer with each tack as the skippers looked on helplessly. A collision was avoided only when one skipper broke the cycle by letting out more rode.

By far the biggest concern of “horsing around” is the effect it has on the set of your anchor. The shock loads on the rode from coming up short on opposite tacks are practically at right angles to each other, and all this stress can eventually break the anchor free. Even if the anchor holds, the sideways motion at the bow can chafe right through a nylon rode in a few hours.

So, if you want to sleep better at anchor, you need to do all you can to reduce this sailing at anchor.

But what can you do? While we’ve never tried it, a couple of skippers we have met swear by anchoring stern-to. This places the center of effort behind the center of resistance, and keeps the boat steady. (It also looks really weird.) The downside is that some boats are not very seaworthy stern-to, and most companionways are not designed to be very weatherproof from the stern. So I would worry about being caught in a storm anchored backward, but in fair weather it seems to work quite well.

The best thing you can do to reduce “horsing around” while at anchor is to use a riding (or anchor) sail. We first learned about riding sails by reading Steve and Linda Dashew’s The Bluewater Handbook. It seemed like a good idea, so we had a local sail loft make one for us, and have used it every night at anchor since. The ability of a riding sail to reduce horsing around is just amazing and has to be seen to be appreciated. On that day in Bear Drop Harbor when many of the other boats were sailing up to 40 degrees off the wind, our riding sail kept the bow of our Ericson 38 to within five degrees of the wind direction. Considering how well they work, it is surprising that you don’t see more of them being used. (We’ve only seen one other riding sail in 10 seasons of cruising the Great Lakes.)

Just what is a riding sail? It’s essentially a small and heavily built mizzen, rigged on the backstay, and sheeted forward. The added windage of the sail brings the overall center of effort well aft of the center of lateral resistance. Now when the boat drifts backward during a gust and the bow begins to fall off to one side, the effort of the wind on the riding sail quickly pushes the stern in and brings the boat back head to wind.

A riding sail should be constructed board-flat, of heavy (4- to 8-ounce) cloth, with a hollow foot and leech to reduce flutter, and a straight luff with hanks for attaching to the backstay. Adding full-length battens to the sail is also a good idea to reduce slatting in high winds. As for size, a good rule of thumb is to have the sail made about the same size as a storm jib, or from 5 percent to 10 percent of the total sail area. In fact, you can use a storm jib on the backstay as your riding sail. And for that matter, ketches and yawls can achieve the same effect by just leaving their mizzen up (perhaps with a reef or two). But since whatever you use will be left up constantly while at anchor and exposed to a lot of ultraviolet radiation, it’s a good idea to have a dedicated riding sail, and not subject your storm jib or mizzen sail to all that abuse.

How do you rig a riding sail? First, attach a pendant between the stern of the boat (the top stern rail works well) and the tack of the sail, long enough to keep the sail well clear over the cockpit. Then attach a halyard to the head and hoist the sail aloft. Finally, rig a sheet from the clew to a place on deck amidships, or – better, but more work – run a sheet to each side of the deck or cabin house. You can leave the sail flying free like this, but it will tend to slat a bit in high winds. So it’s best to attach the luff of the sail to the backstay with a number of hanks.

Riding sails may not be common, but any sail loft can make one up for you. Or you can contact Sailrite, which markets a basic anchor riding sail kit with a 75-inch leech, a 58-inch luff, and a 72-inch foot (15 square feet) designed for boats over 20 feet. It costs between $68 and $73, depending upon the size of the snaps needed to fit your backstay. This kit was just upgraded to use Top Gun sailcloth, rather than Dacron. This makes the sail hold up much longer.

Our riding sail came from Kent Sails, in Mount Clemens, Mich., and is 150 inches on the luff, 124 inches on the leech, and 62 inches on the foot (26 square feet) with seven hanks along the luff.

Kent Sails designed our current riding sail with a fiberglass rod running between the backstay at the luff and the grommet at the clew. This rod does a nice job of stiffening the sail, and keeps it quiet in high winds. But more than that, this unusual design has the interesting feature of holding the clew out away from the backstay, in much the same way a wishbone boom on a sailboard holds the clew of the sail out from the mast. With the clew held out taut, you can swing the sail around on the backstay to point aft, which not only gets it out of the way of the cockpit, but has the advantage of putting the sail’s center of effort even farther from the bow, making it even more effective at keeping the boat steady.

If you already have a riding sail with hanks on the luff and would like to try this arrangement, it’s a simple matter to modify the sail to be able to point aft. All it takes is a few feet of hollow aluminum rod, a short piece of webbing, and a couple of sheet metal screws.

First lay out a line between the luff and the clew, perpendicular to the luff, and mark where the line meets the luff. Then buy a length of hollow aluminum rod that is at least 6 inches longer than this line, and slightly smaller in outside diameter than the clew grommet (so the rod will slide through the grommet). Using your sail repair kit (you do have one aboard, don’t you?) sew about 4 inches of 1-inch webbing to the side of the luff at the position you marked, with enough slack to hold the rod. (The purpose of the webbing is to keep the rod in position on the backstay.) Then cut about a half-inch-deep slot into one end of the rod so the end fits over the backstay.

The final step needs to be done with the sail hanked onto the backstay and hoisted taut. Slide the slotted end of the rod through the clew grommet, through the luff web loop, and over the backstay. Then pull the clew out taut, and mark the point on the rod where it enters the clew grommet. Remove the rod and mount a couple of sheet metal screws at that point on the rod, which will keep the clew from sliding down the rod toward the backstay. Next, cut the excess rod off about 4 inches beyond the screws.

When you now place the slotted end of the rod through the web strap, then the other end through the grommet up to the screws, and finally slide the slot over the backstay, the clew should be held out nice and taut. Finally, just rotate the whole sail aft, and add a sheet from the end of the    rod to each corner of the stern rail. Using rolling hitches for each sheet makes it easy to adjust the centering of the sail. And that’s it – you’re done.

A nice side effect of any riding sail is that it makes your boat easier to find in a crowded anchorage, as there aren’t too many boats out there with big white triangles at their sterns. (This has come in very handy when returning by dinghy from a late evening ashore and trying to find our boat by flashlight.) Our unusual aft-pointing rig is also very sociable, in that we usually have at least one sailor in each anchorage stop by to ask about it. Last summer we even had the skipper of a nearby Alberg 30 so intrigued that he spent an hour trying to construct a similar rig using his storm jib and a telescoping awning pole. At one point when things weren’t going too well and the pole fell to deck for the second or third time (there was no webbing at the luff to hold the pole in place) he good-naturedly called over, “Look what you started!”

Whether you choose the traditional forward-sheeted arrangement, or the unusual aft-pointing rig, I highly recommend you consider using a riding sail to steady your boat at anchor. Leave the “horsing around” for on shore.

Kents Sails Co. 35942 Jefferson Mount Clemens, MI 48045 810-791-2580

Sailrite 305 W. Van Buren St P.O. Box 987 Columbia City, IN 46725 800-348-2769; http://www.sailrite.com

Article  from Good Old Boat magazine, January/February 2000.

About The Author

Steve Christensen

Steve Christensen, a research chemist, moved from Utah to Michigan and took up sailing to replace skiing. Steve and Beth sail Rag Doll, an Ericson 38, on Lake Huron. They spend each August cruising the waters of The North Channel and dream of retirement as liveaboards someplace warm.

Related Posts

Easy Charting

February 11, 2020

The Saga of Invictus

July 1, 2012

Art in Slow Motion

April 26, 2023

The rest of the ratios: On helm balance

July 17, 2019

Current Edition

Join Our Mailing List

Get the best sailing news, boat project how-tos and more delivered to your inbox.

You have Successfully Subscribed!