Loosing a batten in a gale

Slingshot 2025: When the Forecast Was Right

You might have read about our Slingshot sailings over the years, or maybe even watched an episode or two on YouTube. During the 2025 attempt we were a bit quick on the trigger and set off despite a rough forecast. As everyone who sails a lot knows, forecasts are rarely accurate. This time they were.

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Forty Knots at Midnight

Without going into too much detail, none of us were keen on walking the deck at midnight in 40 knots of wind, so we trimmed the sails as best we could. I think even a locomotive driver with no sailing experience would have done a better job under normal circumstances. At one point, the sails were flapping so violently that a batten shot through the fabric and disappeared into the the Baltic Sea.

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Sliders, Tape, and a Missing Batten

The pressure on the sails was also strong enough that a few sliders gave way. I had spares, but no sail tape left. So off I went to the nearest chandlery for a fresh roll of tape and a new batten. I didn’t bother buying batten ends because I wanted to design and print my own.

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Printing My Own Batten Ends

The protectors sold in our chandlery are the thin rubber type, the kind you could almost mistake for something from the grocery store or pharmacy. They’re cheap, but they don’t actually make the battens much less pointy. Instead, I sketched up my own version in CAD and printed them at home. The design took less than 10 minutes, and each print ran for 23 minutes, much quicker than driving to the shop and back. If you need to print one, download them here.

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Back to Normal

Back in the marina, I laid the jib flat on the dock, measured the batten pocket, taped the cut line, and trimmed the batten to size with a fine metal saw. With the help of some magic sail tape, everything is now back to normal. Let’s go sailing!