Rinsing sails

Putting mylar sails outside in the sun on the ground to dry does more harm than leaving them wet!! The UV breaks down the film, and if they're kevlar reinforced this gets damaged too.

Given that plastic can't rot, if you don't have the luxury of a high garage in which to hang the sails to dry, you're probably best just leaving them wet in the bag. Having said that, I manage to dry my B14 and Fireball sails in a one bedroom flat by laying them out in the lounge, starting up the dehumidifier and going out!!

Its probably a good idea to get rid of the salt if you can, as I suspect this could cause damage .... and seawater certainly makes sails stink after a few months!!

Have a look at:

http://www.thames-water.com/UK/region/en_gb/content/FAQ/FAQ_ 000051.jsp

As far as I can tell, as a boat isn't a "Private car, taxi, caravan or trailer" the hosepipe ban doesn't actually apply to washing boats or sails! (and I suspect they've not just forgotten to include them, but specifically excluded them without making a big announcement of it)

If you used washing the sails as a sneaky means of watering your lawn they might get a bit upset though