The types of sails used on a yacht depend on the type of boat and its rigging, whether it is a yacht for rent or is participating in a regatta ... The service life of the sails depends on the fulfillment of certain rules and recommendations. There are such rules for the safe storage of sails in bags. Sailing bags (kitties) used nowadays are rectangular bags made of durable nylon. For the complete safety of the sail, the standard kitty size fully corresponds to the specific sail that will be packed in it.
A characteristic feature of a kitty is the obligatory presence of a special net located at the bottom of the bag. Water drainage net, lightening the total weight of the packaged sail. In addition, each bag has two (or four) sewn-on straps for easy transport of wet and heavy sails. In some cases, if it becomes necessary to move a particularly heavy bag with the help of an auxiliary cable or a crane, a securely sewn suspension point allows the load to be relocated without much effort. The experience of sailing in bad weather has shown that the frequent change of sails with their subsequent storage under the deck, significantly increases the humidity in the boat, in the process of water flowing through the kitty net. But leaving a wet sail on the deck, even if well packed, is absolutely impossible.
Only the yachtsman who has to clean the sails more than once a year can appreciate the benefits of using a kitty for packing sails. Racing yachts, for example, have a very large windage, and multiple sail changes to suit a specific range of wind conditions require the availability of the required number of kitties of all sizes and volumes.
Regardless of the estimated time and distance of the planned sea voyage, yachtsmen, along with the necessary supply of sails, prudently stock up on kitties for storing a certain sail. These can be bags for long armor, special kitties for spinnaker, special bags for bow sails, bag models for code zero.
Most cruising yachts carry a single mainsail, the area of which can be adjusted with grooves. In stormy weather, a trisel is placed instead of the mainsail, and the mainsail is packed in a kitty. The way the mainsail is laid depends on whether the sail is removed from the mast or remains attached to it. The most common way of laying a grotto in a kitty is considered to be an "accordion".
Special bags for storing exclusively grottoes are stretched bags with a reliable zipper. They resemble a thick hose in shape, into which the mainsail rolled from a headboard is stored together with through battens, they cannot be removed from the pockets. The sail, when packed in such a bag, is not subject to accidental kinks or kinks. Usually the sail is stored in the forepeak and is hauled out onto the deck through the forepeak.
Spinnaker, as a rule, is raised or removed directly into the sea. For convenient packing of a spinnaker, a kitty is used, which has a ring through which the sail is simply tamped inward. There is a special, cube-shaped version of the spinnaker storage bag, complete with four carabiners, which makes it easy and simple to set the sail from the bow hatch or mouth guard. According to the experts 2yachts, spinnakers require special attention, given their large size and thin material from which they are made. Spinnakers are used in the most difficult conditions, and they can be easily torn. To avoid such a nuisance, at the first opportunity, the sail, rammed in a hurry, is removed from the kitty, and repacked after preliminary drying. Sails can be dried directly on the mast, or hung on the shore, in a shed or boathouse. Rinse the sails with fresh water before drying.
It has become popular now to practice hoisting sails with two lines stretched under the ceiling of the yacht's saloon from the manhole to the mast or main bulkhead. The kitties with the sails suspended by the carbines, which are necessary in this situation, effortlessly move to the stern.
The bow sails bags are equipped with a zipper and are fully openable. Their length is slightly longer than the luff. When setting the sail, the halyard, tack and clew corners are pulled out of their own holes, which are equipped with a special bag - kitty. The bow sails are safely stored in a watertight, lightweight bag. The retracted sails do not affect the longitudinal and lateral balance of the yacht when "stacked".
Long bags that fit perfectly through the bow hatch of the yacht are intended for storing gennakers and code zero. Since the rigid anti-torsion cable is also stored with the sail, the bag is made of high-strength material, sewn in advance with a sufficient margin for this storage option. Some kitties in size are able to reach from the headstay to the bottom spreaders, while accommodating a sail that is pre-folded four times before packing. The use of shorter models of bags involves laying the sail in several layers, or twisting them into a tube.
Kisses of traditional shape and size are usually used to store sails. The average weight of modern sail fabric does not exceed 400 grams / sq. M., Which allows to effortlessly move a packed medium sized sail to a storage location below deck. Special rules "WORLD SAILING" (clause 4.29.1 a; b;), provide for the rules for the storage and construction of kitties, paying special attention to sails for storing sails.
Of course, there are yachtsmen who put forward their own individual requirements for bags for storing sails. In case there is a problem of lack of space for storing sails under deck (especially on long voyages), special non-wet deck kitties made of thick fabric can be sewn to ensure the safety of the sails packed in them.
It is known that, at the request of the yachtsman - "trucker", a waterproof kitty was made, measuring from the bow railing to the shrouds in length. The location of such a kitty between the rails along the entire length of the bow deck, according to the customer, was distinguished by ease of use. Another yachtsman expressed a desire to place his storm sail on the roof of the boom superstructure. These examples show that there are many options for storing sails. Each yachtsman, realizing his individual ideas, after consulting with an experienced master of sewing bags for storing sails, will be able to bring his ideas to life, trying to make sailing comfortable and safe.