We are thinkging about getting a new headsail on our Hunter 25.5 and there are some issues I need advice on. We do most of our sailing in the lower Chesapeake Bay. According to my sailmaker a sail can only be reefed down by about 20% and still maintain a good sailing shape, reefing it in any more will result in a distorted puffy shape and it can also damage the sail cloth by stretching it. So for example we get a 150% and the wind is blowing hard at say 20 knots if we reefed down the 150 to say 90% then the resulting sail shape will be really puffy and cause a whole lot of healing which is what we were trying to avoid in the first place. So the bottom line is we can get a heavy/medium air sail, a light/medium air sail, or both. The trade off is this, with the heavy/medium sail, we can put is up and keep it up all the time. Even in the heavy air it will work. But in the light airs we will be losing alot of speed. So the benefit is that there is little work involved. The drawback is in light airs is that you're not maximized. With the light/medium sail in light airs we will maximize all the wind available, but when the wind picks up we have to either change head sails or furl it all the way up and sail only under main. The drawback here is that as the wind picks up you now have to do something with the light/medium sail. The benefit is that you maximize light airs. You could for example get two sails, one of each, a heavy/medium and a light/medium, and when the wind picks up, your drop your light/medium and put up the heavy/medium. The drawbacks here are you have to change the sails (which in a good breeze can be work) and that you have now doubled your cost for two sails instead of one. The benefit is that you will always maximize the breeze available. I guess what it really comes down to is how often do we sail in light/medium airs versus heavy airs. Right now we don't sail in heavy airs cause our sails used to be bagged out and not up to the task. So it could be that when we get a good head sail shape, the boat will be fine in the heavy airs. But then the other thing about heavy airs is the waves. It seems that whenever there are heavy airs there are waves to accompany it which makes sailing in the heavy airs is not as fun. So it seems to me that we ought to get the light/medium sail and see how often the wind picks up and it becomes a problem and then in the future if need be get another sail for medium/heavy air. Has anyone else on the board had to make this decision? What did you deciede and how did you come to it? Thanks.