Skerry cruisers and their modern cruising versions, such as the S30, Jubilee S40 and Swede 55, are sensitive boats. Despite their light displacement, low freeboard and elegant lines, they handle a lot of wind. They are sailed in a different manner compared to contemporary wide and significantly heavier boats.
When the wind picks up, you are reefing earlier. As a slim boat with less initial stability and considerable end stability, Gamle Swede starts heeling soon. When strong winds were forecast, Gamle Swede used to hoist the 15 1/2 m2 storm jib, recently replaced by the 20 m2 heavy weather jib and the mainsail reefed once or twice. With the mainsail reefed twice and the previous storm jib shown below, we sailed the first Schlank & Rank Regatta in 2009 with 41 m2.
Cruising Square Metre Boat type Lotus (jib, one reef in main) and Gamle Swede (storm jib, double reefed main) – Photo Michael Amme
With a small and flat shaped headsail, Swede 55 is sailing upwind even in stormy conditions with wind forces beyond 7 Beaufort. I find this being safer than with a partially furled and saggy headsail. Motoring upwind in rough seas, as is common today, is no fun and takes longer than tacking with Swede 55.
Sailing with head foil and suitable headsail
Gamle Swede has been sailing with a Reckmann Zwilling head foil, being equivalent to the Hood Gemini type since 1980. Although the sail is held by a thin piping in the head foil, it has always remained in place. The head foil, which was common in racing in the seventies/eighties and correspondingly expensive back hen, has paid off well to this day.
All other fittings should also be well dimensioned and able to cope with the strain in the long term. This is the case with the original tracks and sheet cars by the French brand Goiot. I have occasionally replaced the halyard boxes and halyard pulleys of the Seldén mast as wear parts, as well as the fittings for attaching the terminals in the mast, the shrouds, the shroud tensioners and the headstay. A brand-name rig like the Gothenburg-based mast manufacturer Seldén is worthwhile in the long run. The entire rigging is well documented with spare parts being available after decades. The Hamburg-based agent Herman Gotthard is competent and delivers quickly.
Gamle Swede and a classy 22 m2 before the start of the windy Schlank & Rank Regatta 2009 – Photo Michael Amme
Regarding the standing rigging, experts and riggers estimate a service life of 15,000 nautical miles or 15 years. After that, the wire is worn out and needs to be replaced.
Suitable fittings and reliable mainsail reefing
As is unfortunately common with production boats, the winches mounted by Fisksätra Varv in 1979 were too small. Further, only the headsail winches were self-tailing. They were bronze winches from Lewmar. Re-chroming them became tedious and expensive in the long run. A non-metric, imperial inch Allen key was needed to service them.
In the meanwhile, the third generation of winches is installed, namely from Andersen in a self-tailing, easy-care and nice full steel version: two-speed 52 for headsail sheets, two-speed 28 halyard and reefing winches, single-speed 12 for spinnaker halyard, and two-speed 40 runner winches. The differences in height and drum diameter were partly compensated for with brackets specially milled by sailing friend Uli.
The yard had also saved money by omitting the mainsheet traveller. I improved it with an oversized Lewmar traveller and repeatedly reinforced the traveller beam/helmsman’s position over the years with the help of various boat builders.
The mainsheet is operated with an 8:1 Easymatic 2 tackle by a Danish manufacturer. The reefing system has also proven its worth. The wear on the reefing lines, which I replaced with low-stretch Dyneema, is within limits and visible on the sheath.
Schlank & Rank Regatta 2009
After a long close-hauled course in a strong north-easterly wind, we arrived just in time for the first Schlank und Rank Regatta. Axel, Bruno, Dörthe and I had come from Grömitz. It was strong, around six Beaufort, with gusts probably stronger. The north-easterly wind, which had been blowing for days, gave us a rough sea when beating all the way up to Fehmarn island.
Gamle Swede in July 2009 ready to depart from Grömitz to Fehmarn island – Photo Swedesail
In the morning in Grömitz, we prepared the 15 1/2 m² storm jib, affectionately known as the fear rag aboard. We also set the double-reefed mainsail. The excess cloth was neatly tied to the boom in the best sailing school manner.
Rank and Schlank Regatta 2009 in flat water of the sheltered western Fehmarnsund – Photo Michael Amme
The second reef is arranged so that the headboard of the mainsail sits well below under the runner attachment to the spar. This allows both runners being tightened permanently. This makes Gamle Swede as easy to handle as a standard mass-produced boat, where the mast is trimmed once in the spring and then forgotten for the rest of the season.
As the photos show, the fear rag was just as worn as the mainsail from Swiss sailmaker Vogel & Meier, which was also getting on in years at the time. Both were well-made sails that had lasted a long time. It was the right sail choice, and we were able to sail the regatta in the shelter of the island of Fehmarn in mostly calm waters. After a while, the headboard of the mainsail tore the top slider from the mast, a result of the mast curvature. This minor issue was quickly fixed in the harbour in the evening.
This tried-and-tested storm jib on the head foil served Gamle Swede for decades – Photo Michael Amme
In my experience, the headsail furling reefing systems offered today for every modern cruising boat are not suitable for strong wind sailing. Partially furled sails are performing poor. In addition, the safety of the boat and crew depends on a fairly thin rope that has to withstand the enormous pull from the headsail. Furthermore, in the case of cruising Square metre boats such as the Swede 55, which made for the joy of sailing, it would be a shame to sacrifice sailing performance. Gamle Swede sailed in tough conditions for decades with its well-used storm jib made of 340 gram Dacron/polyester cloth. If I remember well, the luff strip with the piping was only replaced once in all those years.
Detail of the Hood Gemini head foil with spring and double feeder – Photo Swedesail
In such wind conditions, we are only sailing if there is a destination to reach or in case of the peer pressure of a race. Nevertheless, it was a great day, and as Michael Amme’s nice photos show, there was even a little sunshine in between. Thanks to reduced sail area – other participants were overpowered with regular jibs and mainsails only reefed once – the regatta went well for Gamle Swede. With a 29-year-old storm jib and a 17-year-old mainsail.
Mainsail sizes reefed: First reef ≈ 35 m² (80%), second reef ≈ 28 m² (63%), third reef ≈ 19 m² (43%). The third reef is rarely used, at eight Beaufort, then Gamle Swede was canvassed with a total of 34.5 m² including the old 15.5 m² storm jib. With this sail configuration, it is still possible to tack well in reasonably calm waters protected by a lee shore. This makes the boat faster and safer than using the motor. The current third mainsail has an aft leech being about 10 centimetres shorter. This raises the boom slightly, improving visibility and safety.
Gamle Swede finishing the Schlank & Rank Regatta 2009 near the port of Orth/Fehmarn – Photo Michael Amme
Photo above by Michael Amme: Gamle Swede in western Fehmarnsund during the first Schlank Rank Regatta of 2009. Published December 3, 2025, updated December 4, 2025. Subscribe to the free newsletter and you won’t miss new articles.
