Last fall I got chatting to a couple, new to cruising, on their way down the Intracoastal Waterway in their new-to-them classic Carl Alberg designed Cape Dory 36. When I complimented them on their choice of a good looking and seaworthy boat that also sails well, they expressed surprise saying, “Oh no, she can’t get out of her own way, particularly going to windward. We are really disappointed. Do you have any advice?”
Don’t Forget About The Sails
by John Harries
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Next: Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
Previous: Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
- Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
- Don’t Forget About The Sails
- Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
- Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action
- Reefs: How Many and How Deep
- Reefing Made Easy
- Reefing From The Cockpit 2.0—Thinking Things Through
- Reefing Questions and Answers
- A Dangerous Myth about Reefing
- Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
- Topping Lift Tips and a Hack
- 12 Reasons The Cutter Is A Great Offshore Voyaging Rig
- Cutter Rig—Should You Buy or Convert?
- Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting
- Cruising Rigs—Sloop, Cutter, or Solent?
- Sailboat Deck Layouts
- The Case For Roller-Furling Headsails
- UV Protection For Roller Furling Sails
- In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing—Convenience and Reliability
- In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing —Performance, Cost and Safety
- The Case For Hank On Headsails
- Making Life Easier—Roller Reefing/Furling
- Making Life Easier—Storm Jib
- Gennaker Furlers Come Of Age
- Swept-Back Spreaders—We Just Don’t Get It!
- Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
- Rigid Vangs
- Rigging a Proper Preventer, Part 1
- Rigging a Proper Preventer—Part 2
- Amidships “Preventers”—A Bad Idea That Can Kill
- Keeping The Boom Under Control—Boom Brakes
- Downwind Sailing, Tips and Tricks
- Downwind Sailing—Poling Out The Jib
- Setting and Striking a Spinnaker Made Easy and Safe
- Ten Tips To Fix Weather Helm
- Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 1
- Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 2
- Two Dangerous Rigging Mistakes
- Rig Tuning, Part 1—Preparation
- Rig Tuning, Part 2—Understanding Rake and Bend
- Rig Tuning, Part 3—6 Steps to a Great Tune
- Rig Tuning, Part 4—Mast Blocking, Stay Tension, and Spreaders
- Rig Tuning, Part 5—Sailing Tune
- 12 Great Rigging Hacks
- 9 Tips To Make Unstepping a Sailboat Mast Easier
- Cruising Sailboat Spar Inspection
- Cruising Sailboat Standing Rigging Inspection
- Cruising Sailboat Running Rigging Inspection
- Cruising Sailboat Rig Wiring and Lighting Inspection
- Cruising Sailboat Roller Furler and Track Inspection
- Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist
Do you think Composite cruising sales have come of age i.e.; now pass the “been in production for at least 10 years” test? There seem to be a lot of advantages as reported here: https://www.quantumsails.com/en/resources-and-expertise/articles/composite-for-cruising-sails
Can all the practical elements (like handles on the mainsail luff for hauling it down while reefing) be included?
Hi Paul,
I have been using fairly high tech sail materials for cruising for over 20 years. At the moment we have sails made from Hydra Net and are very happy with them.
As to handles to pull the tack down, there would be no reason not to install them on a Hydra Net sail. That said, I would not do so since I find floating rings a good solution.
As to the materials promoted in the post you link too, I’m guessing that sails made of moulded, rather than woven, construction sail cloth are getting close to ready for cruising, and may already be there, although I can’t say for sure without first hand experience.
We purchased North Marathon 3DL Jib and Genoa in 2003 and 2004. The genoa de-laminated two years ago. We used the jib this year and it still has good shape but is ready for replacement. I found the shape holding performance incredible, but there were some problems with mildew in between the layers, which were solved with sailcote, which made the sails heavier. They lasted far longer than I expected.
Hi Frederick,
That’s good to hear. As an ex sailmaker I have always really liked the North 3DL concept, but as an offshore voyager I have always worried about longevity.
Is there an article or website you can recommend for easily creating polar diagrams for different sail combinations? Do you think this is even a worthwhile learning exercise on a new boat to us?
Hi Jim,
There is a mobil app that claims to help with that: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ipolar/id577106473
However, I would not put a lot of faith in the results, particularly for routing where very small errors in the polars can result in huge routing screw ups. The bottom line is that the only way to get really good polars is is to run the boats full lines and rig through a velocity prediction program. It also helps to have measured the actual stability and displacement with an incline test and measurement of actual freeboard.
Bottom line, race navigators and sail trimmers that rely on polars spend big bucks and months of truth testing to get good polars.
That said, if your boat is a production model the designer might have something that would be better than nothing.
John, is there any resource in this website on how to Best Buy a new main sail? I found an ebook in Practical Sailor and that is it! I can find a lot reviews on many marine gadget that costs 1/10 the of a new mainsail cost but I can’t find any in depth buyer’s guide for new cruiser, any suggestion would be appreciate it.
Hi Andy,
Yes there is: https://www.morganscloud.com/category/rigging-sails/book-sail-handling-rigging/
Well worth reading right through since a lot of the decisions you will be required to make, like number of reefs and how deep, are covered in detail.
And more stuff under this topic: https://www.morganscloud.com/2006/03/18/in-boom-reefing/ including a specific article on picking a sailmaker: https://www.morganscloud.com/2009/11/18/how-we-buy-sails/