Light air sails – what do you use?

[Van]

Now that the winter has set in and the shortest day of the year is approaching for us poor buggers in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to fantasize about sailing next year.

Here in the beautiful Pacific North West (which is of course the North East Pacific) we have a lot of warm summer days with little wind. Too often we have to resort to the Perkins.

So, I’m dreaming of light air sails, and am curious to know what other people do about light air. Anyone use spinnakers/gennakers/Code Zeros/Doyle UPSs or similar? Mizzen staysail? Double headsail?

We got a new set of sails (main, genoa, mizzen) last year, and I kept the old genoa and removed the hanks. We find that flying the old genoa next to the new one (on a furler) works great as a double headsail for direct downwind sailing when the wind is light.

We also have an old asymmetrical that came with the boat. It was probably used when the previous owner got it. It has a limited range of apparent wind angles in which it is useful, basically close to beam reach. It drops too easily into the water as you run further down. When the wind is right, it’s great – lots of power. But we don’t use it much because of the limited range.

What do you use?

Van

[Chihili Q]

Chihili Q came with quite a few sails some of which seemed a bit superfluous; I have a lightweight spinnaker, also a general purpose and a “star cut”; I have flown the first quite regularly and find it a heck of a lot easier with a snuffer. I have also purchased a snuffer for the crusing chute, the asymmetric, which I find glorious but as you say, only on a beamy tack. The mizzen staysail is very pretty especially with everything else up and adds aesthetically but probably not much speed!

Adrian.

[Chihili Q]

Oops, that picture is a bit big for a staysail!

[Chihili Q]

Here’s the Cruising Chute snuffer in operation.

[Ronar M]

Ronar has a similar set up to Adrian’s. I have a crusing chute (with snuffer) and a mizzen staysail. The staysail head is at the mizzen masthead, it’s tack is attached via a tackle to one of the weather mainmast chainplates and the sheet via a block at the aft end of the mizzen boom – quite a hooligan of a sail. I often fly it and the chute together and can get over 6 knots in 10 knots of wind. Trevor

[Happy Dolphin]

a yanmar sail 43 hp

[Chihili Q]

Based in Venezuela by chance?

[michael bennett]

When all else fails…Perkins 4108!

Last year I fitted an inner foresail, hanked on, I had a rarely used second genoa, modified by local sailmaker, he cut the foot high more like a yankee, it works well doesn’t flog like my 150% genoa when un-poled in light airs, when it is poled they work well together, but have to keep an eye on COG as she crabs to leward with that set up of no main.

[Author]

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