Submitted on October 15, 2006 by David Wood

Question: I have just bought a 1990 Beneteau Oceanis 430. It has a furling genoa and a furling main (within the mast). I am interested in your advice on what sails I might buy to ‘race’ this yacht each Saturday at Mooloolaba and perhaps in the annual Hamilton Island Race Week. Does the furling main system prevent a ‘racing main’ being used? Would a racing main and genoa be bigger than the cruising ones I currently have? What spinnakers should I be considering?

Thanks for your assistance.

Regards
David Wood

Answer: Dear Dave,

The furling mainsail certainly restricts your options somewhat in racing mode in terms of sail area and cloth choice. Vertical furling precludes the use of horizontal battens on the leech. Instead we can specify vertical battens which allow for a straight leech or slight positive roach (rather than hollow with no battens), but do not provide the same support for the leech as horizontal layout.

Depending on the positioning of the genoa tracks, it may be possible to increase the foot length on your genoa to increase sail area.

In terms of sail cloth choice, Dacron/Mylar cruising laminates such as our own Soft NorLam, have less stretch and are lighter than conventional Dacon, both factors of which will improve sail performance.

Finally, there are a number of options for downwind inventory, which will depend on the type of racing and cruising you are planning. Cruising gennakers including our G-series models are easy to handle and still fast for passage and around the islands type of racing that is the norm at regattas such as Hamilton Island Race week in the cruising classes.

If you have any further queries or would like pricing on available options, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Julian Plante
North Sails, Australia

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