Submitted on July 15, 2005 by Mark Ningaloo

Question: Hi,

We are sailing with the family in the med and plan to sail back to Australia with a Lagoon 440 cat. We have a asymetrical kite with a sock and after some other sails to help up wind and also use dead square with the main down. Would you recommend a code 0 and can it handle wind speeds around 30kn?

Many thanks,
Mark Ningaloo

Answer: Hi Mark,

For a cruising catamaran we build a sail called a G-0, which is very similar to a racing boats Code 0 except it does not have as much roach. The G-0 is a better sail than a Code 0 but it does not conform to racing rules, which require that the sail be wider in the middle to qualify as a spinnaker.

A G-0 can be built for any wind range. We could build one for your Lagoon 440 that would handle wind speeds up to 30 knots. That would result in a smaller and heavier sail than most G-0s. We typically design and build the sails so that they can be used in winds in the low 20 knot range with the wind just aft of the beam and in lighter winds with the wind forward of the beam. The North Sails loft in France is the world leader in multihull sails. If you are in that region of the Med you should call there and talk to Bruno or Laurent about the best size and weight sail for your boat. Good luck on your return voyage.

Regards,
Dan Neri

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