Storm jib or try sail?

[cmedsailor]

I am not going to cross any oceans but the Med gets tough from time to time. The boat has a brand new good quality Quantum furling main sail (meaning endless reefing points) and a furling genoa. If I was going to choose between a storm jib or trysail what would be recommended to do? My personal opinion will be to go for the storm jib since the main can be furled to a little relatively flat triangle whereas the heavily furled genoa will be at a higher point and in a worse shape. What's your opinion?

 

[Wansworth]

I was asking about this a while back.The problem is where does the storm jib go?THere is a sail called a galesail that sleeves over the furled genoa.I reckon the safest bet is an inner forestay that a small jib can be ready to hoist,complete with sheets so avoid dancing about on the foredeck.But as mentioned you are still stuck with a furled genoa,ie windage and weight.

 

[Channel Sailor]

My preference would be to have a Storm jib first. But if you have a roller reefing, then get one that slips around the furled jib/genoa. I think Quay sails in Poole made one of mine. Or have it set on a separate forestay. My experience is, with recent weather information availability developments, you often have plenty of time to prepare your yacht for prolonged strong winds. So spending time setting up an arrangement that will allow you sail safety and comfortably is worth the investiment in effort. Incrediably, I last used my Storm Jib for a 3 hour trip from Newtown to Portsmouth in June last year! Though it was very windy (and rough) I had to make the passage home and I knew the boat was capable. I rigged the storm jib ready on the desk, hoisted as soon as entrance was cleared, then sailed under jib alone at 3.5 kts to Portsmouth, with scary large waves passing under me from behind. My normal jib/genoa may have just about handled the strain had it been well reefed. But when I turned to have wind on the beam for a a while, i suspect the reefed genoa shape would have just left me making leeway.

For greater than 60-80 miles from safe haven, and with a complicated mainsail, then a trysail would have a place on my boat if possible. Though a fourth reef on a mainsail might serve the purpose. Last and only time I used a trisail was when a boom fitting failed off Prawle Point in a SW F5, the result was a well ripped mainsail. I ran up the bright orange trisail and was very impressed how well the yacht sailed with it. In fact, I was cheeky and sailed right into Darmouth on it, and anchored under sail off the town to find a sail maker!