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Best Heavy-Air Headsail
I’m dialing in my sail inventory for offshore races and wondering what your go-to headsail is in heavy air. I’ve used a No. 4 jib in 25+ knots, but I’m considering a reefable option or a staysail setup. Any thoughts on what works best for balance and performance?
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1 Reply
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New Sailor
Mark – Thanks for your question. It depends an awful lot on your boat type and the angles we are talking about. It might even depend a bit on the definition of “heavy air.”
Here in Annapolis, a “windy” day is the normal on SF Bay:)
Amongst the ranks of our North U coaching staff, we have some pretty talented sailmakers and sail designers that I know would be happy to answer questions and make suggestions about your specific boat and help you find the right sail for your specific needs.
Right now we are preparing for the Annapolis to Newport race and wrestling with the same sorts of questions. We are building the inventory for a new J/45 and we have a J4 that has been great in up range conditions when we are sailing close hauled, but as soon as we crack off we are moving into a larger headsail and before we are beam reaching we’re in a Code Zero. We are zeroing in on our sail selection chart – and looking forward to filling the gaps we find before we race to Bermuda next year.
kb
Kristen Berry
Director, North U and American Sailing Performance
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