Sail Damage from Broken Batten

[NateD]

We were out in some strong gusts (20-25 mph) on Friday, at one point I looked up to check sail trim and I saw the middle batten on my main poking through. I was contemplating my options when a couple of gusts came up the batten fell off the sail into the water. My guess is that the batten (wood) was cracked or weakened in some way, and the strong gusts broke it, leaving a sharp edge to cut through the pocket (don't know what the proper term is) it's held in. This sail only has a another 2-3 seasons in it so I don't want to invest too much in the repair. What do you think of getting a replacement fiberglass batten from West Marine and using sail tape to seal up the pocket?

[Rick Klages]

It happens.  Sew sail/batten pocket. May need a patch on the other side to reenforce area. Tape won't hold in this case. Replace batten with new fiberglass one ordered or cut to size.  Use sail tape or batten caps on batten ends before installing to prevent rip through.  Last step, sail some more. Have sail evaluated, it may not be as bad as you think.