Why do you have to wash your sails?
Sails are a precious and expensive commodity. They must be preserved. The enemy of sails, which accelerates their wear and tear, are mainly UV and salt. To protect against UV rays, it is advisable to remove the sails when the boat is no longer in use and store them in a dark place. And to limit salt attacks, you should rinse your sails regularly. It is strongly recommended to rinse thoroughly at least once a season, and ideally during the winter season. Just before storing his sails for a long time, they will no longer be used throughout the winter.
How to rinse well?
If the sails remain in storage, in a lazy bag for example, they can be rinsed with a simple water hose and dried before wintering. But every 2 years, they must be degreased and rubbed on a flat surface.
Don't you have a large median to do that? White Sails proposes to take care of this handling. This craftsman has equipped himself with a large 10 m trailer in which he can load battened main sails without dismantling the battens.
What about the stains?
Pollution is not the same in different navigation areas. Thus in the Mediterranean the sails get dirty in orange with the sand coming from the Sahara. In the Pas de Calais, Arcelor's factories are blackening the sails. On the Vilaine in Arzal, trees green the fabrics... Each type of dirt requires a particular cleaning.
At White Sails, we know how to treat all types of dirt, even traces of rust. To do this, each stain requires a specific treatment: mould, rust, rust, greenery, stainless steel run-out or environmental pollution. And whatever the soiled fabric, whether it is sailcloth or even PVC. But above all, the White Sails floor is large enough to handle all sail sizes.
Clean and repair or the other way around?
Wintering is also the time to carry out repairs on your sail. This one has worked all season and can show signs of wear and tear, seams to be reworked. It is advisable to clean the sail before taking it to the sailboat. Indeed, very clean, it will have a better look at wear and will have more facility to repair on a clean surface.
How much does it cost?
At White Sails, we charge a rate per square meter. For example, a Dufour 34 sailboat with a 31 m mainsail 2 and a 32 m genoa 2 will be charged 340 euros including VAT for both sails. White Sails offers to wash the sails from the Lazer to the Ultim, via the cruising sailboat or the 200-foot yacht.
