sail choices

[Tom Monroe]

Had a wonderful day yesterday trying out all kinds of sail trim stuff. Still fine tuning my new-this-year-to-me C27. Yesterday I was using a full main and 100% jib in a pretty brisk wind, usually healed between 15 and 20 degrees, so I thought I was properly canvased. Pointing well, sailing fast, etc., some weather helm, which I'm going to get until I buy a new main.Most boats out there yesterday were choosing bigger headsails. They sure were NOT beating me up and down the lake, but it has me wondering ... if I had gone to a 110 or a 150 (my only choices) and pulled a reef on the main, would that have been a better choice on a masthead boat? Tom MonroeCarlyle Lake

 

[Mr.Ernie]

My C-27 Sail Choices

Tom, I used to have a Catalina 27 (a 1987) and had a 100, 110 and a 155. I found that as the wind picked up, the helm was far better balanced and the boat sailed faster when I took a reef in the main while continuing to fly the 155 as opposed to reducing the headsail to the 110 or 100. If the wind was even higher, I would then use the smaller headsail but would still leave the main reefed. It just seemed to have way too mich weather helm in any other configurations which slowed that boat considerably.