315 Question: What light wind Sail are you using to handle beam to broad reach? Furling Genneker, Doyle UPS, Code 0, whisker pole on the Genoa?

[VFR750]

Title says it all. For a 315 did you add a second headsail, and what did you go with?

During the summer, Long Island Sound, and particularly Fisher Island Sound, have two interesting features

1. 5kt+ air from the south west is the norm and generally an East-West orientation, which implies you are tacking to go West, or running downwind to go East.
2. 1-2+ kt tidal currents, plus the LIS/Atlantic tides colliding at the entrances to FIS, combined with some fetch, creating 2-3' swells that are really close together; bumpy.

After 1 season on our 315, I find the Main+135% Genoa isn't quite enough for downwind to power through the rougher patches in a broad reach. Often the jib collapses and has to refill, making forward progress slow, or non-existent (going backwards with the current) We do not have a whisker pole.

We are short-handed sailing, so a Spinnaker and Full Asymmetric is not on the list.

I am considering a North Sails "Furling Gennaker" or something similar

Has anyone solved this kind of problem, and what did you do? Would you do it again or something else?

I can talk to the sail makers, but I like some input from the users.

 

[valcour]

In light air (under 10kt) I launch and fly a symmetrical spinnaker by myself when the admiral is below napping on a C310 WK. We do have a pole to make this work. In lighter air, it is better than the iron jenny. Give it a try, not that hard you can handle it, and just douse or wake the admiral if it pipes up.

 

[smokey73]

I use a Code Zero on a continuous liner furler attached to the bale on the Anchor Roller. It works pretty well and is easy to handle single handed on my 40 foot boat.

 

[DaveJ]

The idea of a code 0 or similar with a fuller is excellent, but $$$$. I use a whisker pole that I bought used. I put an ad in our local sailing club newsletter, best $200 that I’ve spent on the boat. Doesn’t solve all your issues but great for many situations.
cheers

 

[chuckwayne]

We use a Doyle UPS in a sock - you can also use a furler - and it works great in the situation you describe. in light winds a real power boost from close reach to about 135 degrees, stable and easy to set and retrieve. I can set and retrieve singlehanded with the autopilot steering and it's much more flexible than the much larger spinnaker we fly downwind.

 

[john2]

we use a genaker with sock

 

[VFR750]

We use a Doyle UPS in a sock - you can also use a furler - and it works great in the situation you describe. in light winds a real power boost from close reach to about 135 degrees, stable and easy to set and retrieve. I can set and retrieve singlehanded with the autopilot steering and it's much more flexible than the much larger spinnaker we fly downwind.

Why did you go with the sock?

I assume you have to go on the foredeck to douse the ups, true?

 

[john2]

I liked the colors of the sail and the sock was included (second hands sail). A furler ads an onother 500 - 1000$

You need to go on fore deck , yes. and some one needs to control the sheet at same time.
A good sailbag makes it easy in use . It takes no more than 10 min to set the sail.

 

[VFR750]

I think having to go forward in bumpy conditions, to raise a spinnaker and then douse it with a sock, is the prime reason for me, to go with a furler design.

I want to stay in the cockpit as much as possible.

which also tempers my enthusiasm for a whisker pole.

 

[chuckwayne]

Why did you go with the sock?

I assume you have to go on the foredeck to douse the ups, true?

yes - but it's easy to do. I added the assym chute first, and then the ups. since I use both, a second sock made more sense - the sails in socks are easy to handle and set or store, I would need a furler with multiple furler cables and a larger size to accommodate the chute - at the time expensive and hard to store. It's easy to go forward on Escape - nice wide decks, and if I thought it was needed I could extend the set/douse loop so that it could lead to the cockpit instead of the foredeck.

 

[JRT]

I'm not as experienced, but after talking with Precision sail, I went with a Code 0 made for my boat. It does fly easy downwind in 5 kts or less of wind for me.

 

[VFR750]

I ended up choosing the "Easy Furling Gennaker" from North Sails with a top-down furler and the lines run back to the cockpit.

I met Jack Orr, of North Sails, at the Newport Boat Show. He gave a presentation on the different furling systems. He gave me quotes for their Code 0 with UV panel (called the G0), the "Helix Furling" Gennaker with UV panel , a G2 with a sock, and the "easy furling" Gennaker (EFG). These are significantly different size sails with corresponding different cloth weights.

I felt the EFG would give me the best downwind performance, without having to go to a G2 with a sock or Spinnaker.

For my 315 the EFG is about 54.6 m^2 (~600 sqft) of lightweight 0.75oz nylon. That's more than 2x my 135% Genoa.

I didn't want to go with the smaller size and heavier weight construction of the G0 (2.0 oz) and Helix (1.2 oz) and risk them not being as effective in really light air.

I really struggles with the choice between the Helix Furling and EFG. I just felt the whole point was very light air, and the lighter weight EFG should be less likely to deflate in bouncy waters. Jack did say the EFG will fly deeper downwind than the Helix, and this was also mentioned in one of their YouTube videos on sails, at around 48:30

I will have to raise it and take it down each day, but, I can do this on the mooring with little to no stress.

2025 is when I'll find out how much better downwind sailing can be.