Laying up - Running rigging.

It amazes me how many people leave running rigging and headsails on their boat all winter when they are not going to use the boat, even when it is in the yard!

Simply taking it all home for the winter is going to at least double it's working life through avoidance of UV light, the elements, microbes and birds. Giving it a good wash will help even more and ropes will be easier to handle next year and you will avoid smelly ropes.

A mousing loop at the tail of a halyard makes reaving a doddle.
A 100m of mousing line will knock you back £20 and leave
plenty for odd jobs such as securing the dodgers.

Tips:

• Don't forget:
• The halyards, halyards banging against the mast or rigging will, apart from being very annoying to others, wear them out and will increase windage - more motion when in the water and a greater risk of blowing over when on land. The investment in some mousing line and putting some good loops on the tail, will be well worth it.
• Webbing jack stays etc.
• Dodgers and other canvas.
• Spare cordage that has been squirrelled away on board - it tends to get damp and smelly which is not going to do it any favours. And they will help keep the boat damp.
• The washing machine speeds things up for those items without fittings attached but don't try it with fittings, even wrapped in cloth.
• Lines that are easily removed, such as spinnaker sheets, guys and headsail sheets are best removed between sailing sessions and stored below - a few sail ties are in any case better than securing a furling headsail with the sheets.
• Consider end-for-ending halyards after a few years to extend their life, the part inside the mast and the tail if stored in a bag will have been protected from UV and bird droppings. Splicing old rope that has been under load can be difficult but the very tail of a halyard won't have been. The same may work for spinnaker sheets and guys if most has been in a storage bag when not in use.
• Keep old running rigging to use during the winter when mousing is not appropriate such as a temporary mainsheet when you want to keep the boom in place.

Invest in one of these rope scrubbers to speed up hand cleaning.
this spinnaker sheet is 8 years old but looks and feels nearly new.

The first two batches through the washing machine drying ready
for storage until next season. Most of these are 7 or 8 years old
and have done almost 18k nautical miles. The D shackle on the main
halyard (white + yellow) was removed for washing!