Submitted on June 25, 2006 by Geoff Prower

Question: We sail a 1989 Beneteau Oceanis 430 with roller furled genoa and in boom Profurl main. We recently shredded our old spinnaker and are looking for your advice on the most suitable replacement.

Our sailing area is to the Bahamas and on south through the Caribbean, with some fairly long open water stretches. We need an easy to operate light air sail for a crew of two.

Geoff Prower

Answer: Geoff, Thank you for sending in your question.

We have two good options for you to consider, ether a G-3 or a G-0 gennaker. The first thing I would ask you is whether you are looking for a more versatile sail that will work well in a wide range of conditions, or a more specialized tight reaching sail.

The G-3 is a conservatively sized all-purpose gennaker. This model is very stable and easy to fly at a broad range of angles and wind speeds. It works best reaching in light air (8 knots and under TWS), from about 70 degrees AWA, to a broader reach as deep as 140 deg. AWA, in moderate or heavy breeze. The smaller size helps make the sail easier to hoist and douse and won't overpower the boat quickly if the conditions are puffy.

A Norlon 75, G-3 would work nicely on your boat. I would consider adding 150 Norlon in the higher loaded area of the luff. This will help the sail hold its shape better when reaching, and will make it more durable in the heavier breeze you can get in the Caribbean.

Another choice is the G-0. This sail is a specialized light to moderate air tight reaching spinnaker. We based the design of these sails on "Code Zero" racing sails. They are sized and shaped more like an oversized genoa instead of a conventional gennaker or spinnaker. So, it can reach much closer to the wind at very tight angles, as close as 40-45 degrees AWA in light air. These sails feature a very low stretch luff rope that allows enough halyard tension to substantially lower the amount luff sag, helping you sail closer to the wind. However, since the sail is pretty small and flat compared to a conventional gennaker, it won't work well sailing a beam reach or deeper. We have a very comprehensive article about the G-0 in the cruising section of our Web site.

Low stretch cloth is pretty important for the G-0 to work properly. Sailing at tight angles, even in light breeze, means that the sail really has to hold its nice shape, just as a good upwind sail does. So a heavier nylon cloth such as Norlon 150 or Norlon 250 would be required. If you really want to increase the performance and save weight, a lightly constructed laminate sail would work best. North Cloth's 1.7 oz Norlam would be a good choice.

Either model gennaker would work great on your boat. I also recommend you get a Snuffer Plus dousing sleeve for either sail. A Snuffer will really make your life easier, since you sail mostly with a very short crew.

I hope this helps answer your question. Please call or e-mail your nearest North Representative if you need more details about any of our gennaker models.

Regards,
Jack Orr
North Sails, Connecticut

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