Skip Novak, Ullman Sails Brand Ambassador

If your boat has been marina bound for any length of time, it might be optimistic to think that all your mechanical systems will function at the first press of a button.  Testing your systems is an essential part of boat maintenance. A salt water environment and a static electrical or mechanical piece of equipment might need dock testing and fiddling with to make them light up.  Much more sensible doing this then than out in the ocean underway, upside down in the bilge.

Same goes for sail control systems.  I would always suggest that if you have a calm period, before departure, run the mainsail up and down the rig.  Roll out and roll in any furling headsails.  Verify that everything is running free and easy.  There is nothing worse than rolling out a jib and then when it comes on to blow you find the top swivel bearing is sticky to the point of seizing up.  If this happens you might find yourself sailing like in the old days, having to lower the jib in a gale, up on the foredeck gathering in the headsail half over the lifelines.

Also, a good thing to do while you have fresh water on tap is to go around the whole boat with a hose and water your roses – sorry, I mean your blocks and sliders. Flush the bearing cages out liberally and work them loose.  This removes any salt crystals and more importantly any grit (that exists in the air in all urban areas) that will prematurely wear the balls and rollers.