[C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

[Andrew Santangelo]

Jeff,

The foot of the sail provides minimal strength to the boom in the case  
of an accidental jibe.  Hence if your boom is going to break do not  
count on the main for strength.  However, if you are in heavy seas/ 
air, your main is likely reefed anyways so the loose foot is a non- 
issue.  And if a squall is coming on you, you should be prepared for  
managing the situation (batten hatches, reef or drop main, furl head  
sail).

We have a good track record monitoring the weather for squalls, and  
certainly the radar tracks them well too.  As they say in Boy Scouts -  
Be Prepared!

In 8-10 years with my sails I have not had a problem.   I have used my  
sails - and boat -  in very heavy air 45 kts sustained and at one  
point an 80 kt squall.  I have also have sail the vessel for a long  
duration (24 hours) in 25 kts of wind.  Sails, boom and boat did very  
well. Crew - well that depends!

All things being equal, the loose footed main will give you overall  
better performance and control than a non-loose footed sail.  Better  
performance for racing or cruising, and something for the captain/crew  
to play with.  ;-)

The UK Gold Tape Drive sails are made of Kevlar and Technora.  The UK  
light air genoa is made of Spectra and kevlar.  Like I said in my last  
email the sails have been used in a range of conditions for the last  
8-10 years and are in great shape still.   They have tolerated luffing  
very well, and have tolerated crew abuse very well.  I have learned  
that a crew does not love the boat the same as the owner!

One last item - I did get rid of the dutchman system when I went to  
the racing sails, but you can certainly use it with your own  
configuration.  We chose not too.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Andrew
C320 "Dawn Treader"
#333


On Feb 9, 2009, at 11:43 AM, Jeff Hare wrote:

> I'd love to have a loose footed main, but with mid-boom sheeting,  
> you could
> easily break your boom in half with an accidental gybe in heavy  
> air.  So, if
> you sail in light to medium air, that would work, but if you regularly
> encounter squalls or heavy seas/air you might not want loose footed  
> main.
>
> What material are the UK sails made out of?  How well do they tolerate
> luffing?
>
> -Jeff