Sailing with a view

Reading Time: 3 minutes

→ Artikel auf Deutsch

Every cruising sailing boat today comes with a folding Sprayhood. Many yachts even have a solid windscreen or a permanent deckhouse. So you sit in the cockpit protected from the wind and water. This is comfy for sailing on chilly nights, in spring and autumn, and in the cold waters of the north.

Unfortunately, this practical wind and spray protection obstructs the view ahead. And hoisting the sails with the winches mounted on both sides of the companionway is so awkward under the open Sprayhood that it takes forever. That’s why I removed the Sprayhood from Gamle Swede already decades ago. Since then, I have been operating the winches safely and comfortably while standing at the companionway. And I can see whether the sails are gliding unhindered up and down the mast.

Quick reefing without a Sprayhood

It makes reefing the mainsail easy, where the halyard is lowered until the front reefing eye can be hooked onto the mast, the halyard is pulled through, and the reefing line is tightened. This reefing method, which has been perfected since the 1970s, is a fine thing and can be done in a few minutes with just a few simple steps. That’s why it’s rightly called quick reefing. The faster it works, the less the sail flaps and flaps, the less it suffers and the less speed the boat loses. This is as practical in regattas as it is in private sailing skirmishes. The winch handle turns freely and unhindered by the bracket or fabric of the Sprayhood.

The indispensable view ahead

The unobstructed view ahead is important. With a view ahead, sensitive fellows will not get seasick at all, or at least later. When there is oncoming traffic, when passing through narrow fairways and approaching harbours, I can see from the helm where the journey is going from. During regattas, an unobstructed view is indispensable.

In regattas, swift manoeuvres are only possible without a Sprayhood. You quickly reach the deck from the companionway and cockpit. Spinnaker recovery is only possible with visual contact. The person at the spinnaker halyard releases as much and fast as the eager hands at the front can pack away. This works if you can see what is happening on deck. Otherwise, the sail will end up in the water.

Finally, sailing is more fun when you can see the water ahead and the sails. The exposure to wind and spray can be compensated for with a hat and scarf. A sailing jacket and trousers protect against spray. I keep the sliding hatch closed during wet close-hauled courses.

In strong winds and when tacking in narrow fairways with oncoming traffic, such as the Fehmarnsund or the Trave, the 20 m2 Yankee, the new strong wind and universal jib with a high-cut clew of Gamle Swede, provides an unobstructed view.

The moments when everything fits and Gamle Swede slices wonderfully easily through the water, are so precious that I want to enjoy them to the fullest.

If you are now looking for a new boat or taking over a used one, have a close look at whether and how the winches can be operated from the companionway. There are production boats where this is better solved than on the Swede 55, where the sails can only be set, reefed and trimmed under the Sprayhood. If you are considering a Sprayhood, take your time to consider this important sailing-related question. Ideally, before the boat upholsterer comes to take measurements.

More Know-how articles

Photo on top by Miguel Razuk-Neumann/Swedesail: Gamle Swede approaching of the Fehmarnsund Bridge. Published October 29, 2025, updated October 29, 2025. → Subscribe to the newsletter here, and you won’t miss future articles.

→ Gamle Swede Blog, → Gamle Swede, → Yachting advice introduction, → Advice for Swede 55