Putting the Sails Away Wet

[Bash]

We spent a few hours this afternoon sailing in the rain, and had no chance to dry the sails out before we got back to the slip. It's still raining as I write this, well past Oh-dark-thirty. And it doesn't seem that I'm going to have a chance over the course of the next few days to dry the sails out.

When this happened before I ended up with flecks of mildew on the sails before I was able to give them some time in the sun.

Any advice?

[daddle]

It will be calm and sunny tomorrow. Go to the boat around noon, hoist the sails, let them dry. You boss says it's okay.

[hard aground]

If you are at a dock vs. a mooring leaving a dehumidifier on the boat dries stuff out nicely.

[zeehag]

can you flake loosely then keep cover loose to aid air flow? without tying the ties too tight? i know is hard in san fran--is wetter than here.

[IdoraKeeper]

Given the expense and difficulty of getting good sails your concern is well placed. I cannot store mine aboard or at home. I end up cleaning them after they have been abused. I know this raises my cost of ownership also seek a solution.

[delmarrey]

What causes mildew is dirt. If the sails are new they can go for several days w/o worry. But if they are old or dirty they'll last 48 hours before the mildew starts to grow in warm weather. The first sign will be around the stitching.

But the nice thing is mildew will not hurt a well built sail. It's plastic. And they can be cleaned. If you spray on an antimicrobial that will help (carpet cleaners or janitorial suppliers).