Heavy weather sail

[Jose Venegas]

If one is to have a single heavy weather sail in a cruising boat, what should it be? After some reading and research, it is still not clear to me what kind of heavy weather sail is best for a mid-size cruising boat with furling headsail like our Beneteau 361. Has anybody had experience using the “Gail Sail” by ATN Inc. (www.atninc.com). Although their website shows with a movie how easy it is to set it up in perfectly windless conditions and flat seas, something tells me that hoisting up such a sail over the furled genoa may not be that easy under heavy weather conditions. I have enquired for alternatives and my sail-maker tells me that the only one he knows is to set up a second removable forestay aft of the existing one and hoist a storm jib there (an expensive project). Any thoughts about the choice of a trysail vs. storm jib? Since I fear the answer is that it depends on the boat, I would appreciate the suggestions from experienced sailors of boats like mine.

 

[Jim Willis]

Really need trysail and storn jib

I was very much an amateur (probably still am) sailor just before setting off from SF to HI. However, I did have excellent advice and (at the time) plenty of money for proper preparation.North sails in Alameda (now in SF) came to the boat , a Gulf 32, and measured etc and advised as follows.Loose-footed storm jib that doubled as cutter rig with genoa (fittings were already there because Gulf's could come with cutter rig). I used this rig on a beam reach for at least a couple of days, knowing that if it got really windy, I could take inthe genoa and just use the strom jib ( never did use it in a storm!)They also made up a storm trysail and extra track fot it besides the main track. The main track was converted to Harken Battslides, so the main could be raised and lowered without turning into the wind (at least then, now things are sticky and need cleaning out).I did, in face use the trysail on the trip having tried it just once in SF Bay.I was in a prolonged squall that in my mind (being single handed) I though was going to be a major strorm. I managed to lower the main, change thread the trysail up the spare track with a bolt to stop it slipping back off. Then I changed the halyard to the trysail and hoisted it. I had never quite worked out how to secure the other end of the sail so I just lashed it to the end of the boom. It worked great and I heaved too (also having never done this before!) and went to sleep.Of course the next day wa not stormy but I found that the trysail and partly furled genoa were perfect for sailing along in the very strong (about 30 knot) trades - did this for over a week and gibing with the auto pilot was very easy.I then found out what I should have been doing. I lowered the trysail in its track, transferred halyard to the main and used reefed main for most of the rest of the trip, but the trysail was already in place, lashed to the boom and ready to go.The only thing I would like to do in future is to make some sort of outhaul set up for the trysail.Jim Willis