I’ve been sailing in San Diego for over 25 years on all sorts of boats, from Snipes to J/24s and Etchells so I’ve spent plenty of days on the South Bay and off Point Loma. Luckily for NOOD racers spring is the windiest time of year in San Diego and it’s the one season where we can experience the most variety in the winds in which we sail. We can get the classic sea breeze, but we also get more frontal-based winds driven by the fronts that come all the way down from the north, stop near Southern California, and then peter out.

I sometimes feel like a doctor talking to an ill patient calling me with a list of symptoms, asking me—without a proper examination, mind you—to diagnose the ailment and offer a cure. Most of the calls from my “patients” come Monday morning, right after a racing weekend. The calls go something like this, “We had great speed forward, but could not point with the rest of fleet,” or “I had tons of helm and could not keep the boat flat. I think my new sails are too full.”

Take good care of your sails and they will take good care of you. Since your sails won't last forever, but following these simple steps on how to fold, roll and store your sails, will ensure you will get the best possible racing life from them.

Your sails are your boat’s engine. As any avid sports car driver would tell you, an improperly maintained engine will detract from your car's performance, and so too will the sails on your race boat. Put more simply, take good care of your sails and they will take good care of you. Since your sails won't last forever, but following these simple steps on how to fold, roll and store your sails, will ensure you will get the best possible racing life from them.