Submitted on January 1, 2006 by James Harris

Question: Hi Dan,

The sailplan/rig recommendations you gave to the couple with the 50 ft bluewater cruiser seemed ideal to us. Would your recommendations change if the sailing area was usually coastal cruising from Biscayne Bay to Key West? A similar solution from a North loft in RI for a Sabre 386 sailed in the NE included vertical battens in the 100% genoa. What would be the limitations of such a sail, reefed 30% in heavier weather? Would there be any anticipated difficulties using the carbon mast/park avenue boom compared to a more conventional rig? We are trying to optimize the sailing performance and ease of use as we consider moving to a Sabre 426.

Thank you,
James Harris

Answer: Hi James,

The more you roll up the headsail the worse it will look. I think you should plan on a 15-20% reduction in LP for roller reefing. After that the sail will get too much of a deep pocket behind the headstay. It might look okay when you first reef it but as you sail along the reefed leech and foot will tighten up, making the sail deeper than you want in the middle luff area. On a reaching angle you can live with the deep shape but upwind it will not be doing you much good. In very windy conditions you can roller reef 50-60% of the sails LP with good results because at that point the part of the sail that is active is the flattest section of the leech.

Vertical battens improve the reefed shape. There is no downside to a carbon rig except the higher price. A park avenue boom is heavier than a regular boom of the same construction. It gives you a nice shelf to stack the mainsail on and keeps the lazy jacks away from the sail. Like the carbon mast, the biggest downside of the park avenue style booms is the expense.

Regards,
Dan Neri

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