Yacht design

[Birdseye]

Odd. Most especially with roller reefing fitted,
I would contend that the large genoa/small mainsail is a better/safer system for short handed sailing; particularly so when things get lively, which to me when ease/safety are at their most important.

Would be except that the genoa once heavily reefed on a furler simply doens work worth a damn. When racing my last boat, a Starlight 35, we used to reef the main even as far as the second reef before touching the roller furler and that was with a 130% laminate with a padded luff. The boat sail better that way.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Odd. Most especially with roller reefing fitted,
I would contend that the large genoa/small mainsail is a better/safer system for short handed sailing; particularly so when things get lively, which to me when ease/safety are at their most important.

Certainly for us that is the case. Navigator gets very nervous when I go up to the mast to reef mainsail, and I dont much like it myself. So I reef main on mooring or put heavy weather cut down sail on and adjust sail area on the move via foresail roller furling. Yes I know its not quite so good to windward, but foam luff leaves genoa fairly neat on the roll. Its not only hull design that has improved over the years.

Anyway I am hardly going to step the mast forward and buy longer boom plus complex rig for cockpit reefing,

 

[Wansworth]

On reflection the sort of sailing I might do in the rias bajas in the summer it’s very calm in the morning building to a good force 5 in the afternoon perfect for sailing home with just the Genoa….it’s called apparently tortilla sailing,nothing too strenuous ?

 

[roblpm]

Certainly for us that is the case. Navigator gets very nervous when I go up to the mast to reef mainsail, and I dont much like it myself. So I reef main on mooring or put heavy weather cut down sail on and adjust sail area on the move via foresail roller furling. Yes I know its not quite so good to windward, but foam luff leaves genoa fairly neat on the roll. Its not only hull design that has improved over the years.

Anyway I am hardly going to step the mast forward and buy longer boom plus complex rig for cockpit reefing,

I am actually thinking about in mast furling (the devil's work!) for my next boat having watched the German guy single handing across the Atlantic. Delos as well. I will be single handing or sailing with my diminutive non sailing partner.

If I want to sail a bit faster I can race on a Hunter 707 40 weeks of the year down the road.