This would also provide better control running downwind in the 16- to 24-knot range with waves. Its primary intended range is the transition zone between your jib top and your full-sized spinnakers.Īn A2 or A4 runner would have the same sail area as your biggest symmetric spinnaker, but provide a better option to bridge the gap between 130 degrees and 160 degrees true-wind angle. I would first add an A3 or A5 reacher, which can also serve as a heavy-air running kite to 150 degrees, and a light-air reaching kite, which you can carry as high as 90 degrees true-wind angle. Asymmetric spinnakers are more versatile and user-friendly offshore, especially in surfing conditions when the acceleration brings the apparent wind forward.

Is there a sail that can help alleviate these problems?īecause your boat is a heavier IOR-influenced design with a masthead rig and overlapping genoas, I would eliminate the symmetric spinnakers. My boat has problems tight reaching, and we have control problems downwind in anything above 18 knots. I’m racing my Baltic 37 in the Pacific Cup and I have three full-size symmetric kites. This sail will be significantly flatter than your AP spinnaker and should be made of 1.5-ounce cloth. You should also have a spinnaker for tighter reaching angles of 100 to 145 degrees, and for better control when sailing downwind in high wind speeds. The genoa staysail is an extremely versatile sail that can be flown inside of headsails and spinnakers in a seaway it can help settle the boat into balance. It also makes the boat easier to drive and more balanced, especially when paired with a genoa staysail. The jib top offers considerably better performance in this range because the design is orientated to reaching. There can be a fair bit of reaching in the Bermuda Race and the jib top is a potent weapon for true-wind angles between 50 to 110 degrees. What essential sails would you recommend I add to my inventory?Ī 145-percent jib top, heavy genoa staysail, and reaching spinnaker would be the primary sails to focus on. I’m planning to do the Bermuda Race but have a limited budget. The boat has a racing main, a 145-percent genoa, a 100-percent jib, and an all-purpose spinnaker. I race a Beneteau 44.7 in local PHRF events. If we break one, we still have one with which to finish the race. This also allows us to sail with two A2s (A2 & A2.5) that are each efficient in a given wind range. This allows us to drive the boat harder in those crossover conditions, when we need to be able to put the bow up to track waves and not risk a wipeout due to the size and fullness of the inshore A2. This kite bridges that important gap between the A2 for flatter seas and lower angles and the smaller A4 for higher winds. It has more reinforcement, a flatter luff, a twisted leech profile, and an oversized tack patch. For the Reichel/Pugh 45 Criminal Mischief, we developed an A2.5, which is essentially the same size as an A2, but is much more durable. But the A2 you use for inshore buoy races to sail at low angles may not be the best sail for offshore racing, when surfing waves and dealing with shorthanded sail changes. On a fractional-rig boat with non-overlapping jibs, however, a Code Zero is a necessary sail because of the significant gap between the smaller non-overlapping jib and the A5 reaching spinnaker.įor a long downwind race where I may need the same sail for extended periods, how do I make sure I have redundancy in the sweet spot of my asymmetric inventory?įor Transpac, and many other coastal and offshore races, the A2 spinnaker is your workhorse. On a masthead-rigged boat with 155-percent overlapping genoas, the gap that exists between a large jib top and an A5 reaching spinnaker is not significant enough to warrant a Code Zero. In perfect conditions-light-wind, smooth water-a true-wind angle of 70 to 80 degrees is about as close to the wind as you’re going to get from a Code Zero. My boat came with a typical upwind sail inventory, but my crew insists we could use a Code Zero, especially if the race turns into an upwind drifter is this true?Ī common misconception is that a Code Zero can be used upwind in place of a genoa. A jib top is a high-clewed headsail used for tight beam reaching. An A7 is a very small sail for very big breeze, 28 knots or more. You can push these sails to slightly tighter angles in light winds, but be prepared for leech flapping.

However, it’s important to remember that the Code Zero is measured as a spinnaker. Code Zero sails are most effective between 80 to 125 degrees true-wind angle, in windspeeds of 5 to 18 knots. Most sailmakers refer to odd numbered sails (A1, A3, A5) as reaching spinnakers and even numbered sails (A2, A4, A6) as downwind-orientated sails.

I need to improve my reaching inventory, but I am confused by the terminology and coding of some of the sails.

Rigging a code zero sail