Cruising code zeros aren’t subject to these same constraints, however. For race boats, code zeros are subject to specific rules that describe their mid-girth measurement (namely, 75 percent of their foot length). These rockets came to fame aboard racing sailboats in the late 1990s and early 2000s, allowing racers to quickly fetch deeper angles than a racing headsail could efficiently carry. Here’s what I learned, starting with the most weatherly sail and clocking back to those that are better-suited for deep-angle runs. In all cases, the sails they recommend are custom-designed and built for the owners and the boats that will use them. I reached out to three leading sailmakers-Dan Kaseler, who owns Quantum Sails’ Seattle loft Adam Loory, who works as UK Sailmakers International’s general manager and Bob Meagher, from North Sails’ Fort Lauderdale loft-to learn more about the best options for cruisers. ![]() To address this loss of power, today’s sailmakers offer dedicated off-wind sails that liven up performance when sailing deeper angles. ![]() While this approach makes it relatively easy to trim the jib while tacking upwind, as soon as the boat cracks off and sheets are eased, boat speed drops, especially in the lighter airs that are common to coastal waters during the summer months. While these large headsails demand some grunting on the winches to haul in the sheets during tacks-and typically require roller reefing or downshifting to a smaller jib when the breeze freshens-they allow boats to sail deeper angles without hoisting dedicated off-the-wind sails for reaching and running downwind.īy contrast, the current trend in sail plans typically features a larger mainsail and non-overlapping or just slightly overlapping headsail, typically in the range of 107 percent. For example, older sloops typically carry 130 to 150 percent genoas that, when sheeted hard on the wind, extend well aft of the shrouds. Not so long ago, most production sailboats featured sail plans that were a bit different from what one might encounter when looking at how boats are rigged today. Three sailmakers take a look at off-wind sails that will keep your boat moving on a reach and a run.
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