Mast in compression
With a stayed mast isn't the mast in compression??? The fore stay and the back stay are under equal tension and almost all of the force on the mast is compression. With a deck stepped mast in particular any large horizontal load would bend or break the mast. Even with side loads the upwind shroud is in tension and the mast in compression. All of the boats that I have sailed had backstays. I have sailed several different boats downwind with the foresail only to stop the main from flopping to and fro and the sail area was not needed. Sailed from Marathon to Key West that way in a Cal 24 with no problem. This was in 20+ knots of wind and the boat was doing hull speed. We were going almost dead downwind most of the time. Have never tried to sail upwind with only a foresail.
With a stayed mast isn't the mast in compression??? The fore stay and the back stay are under equal tension and almost all of the force on the mast is compression. With a deck stepped mast in particular any large horizontal load would bend or break the mast. Even with side loads the upwind shroud is in tension and the mast in compression. All of the boats that I have sailed had backstays. I have sailed several different boats downwind with the foresail only to stop the main from flopping to and fro and the sail area was not needed. Sailed from Marathon to Key West that way in a Cal 24 with no problem. This was in 20+ knots of wind and the boat was doing hull speed. We were going almost dead downwind most of the time. Have never tried to sail upwind with only a foresail.