Maintenance Articles
Every sailing adventure should commence with a meticulous pre-departure checklist. From ensuring all safety equipment is in place, checking the weather forecasts, to examining the charts, these steps are undeniably important. Nevertheless, one check seems to be more important than the rest, yet often overlooked by sailors - the rig check.
Many sailors might believe they can avoid potential accidents by just having safety equipment onboard and a functioning engine. However, ignoring rig checks can create dangerous situations, leading to rig failures that put everyone onboard in immediate danger. Rig failures are not only risky but also astronomically expensive to repair.
The importance of rigging checks got highlighted by John Keane of Oyster 595 Alpenglow, currently on the Oyster World Rally. He confirmed that knowing their dock tune was accurate took a great deal of stress off their preparation for the rally.