Sue & I are coming from a Freedom 40/40 where we 26 years and 70k miles of cruising. However, we have a carbon fiber mast, no rigging other than a forestay, a big powerful main, and a hank-on jib that has a camberspar internal to it that allows it to self-tack and run wing-on-wing very easily. The boat was designed by Pedrick, a US Cup designer, and sails very fast.
The issue is that we’re going from this very simple sail plan to a much more complex inventory, and I am completely out of my knowledge base.
Our plans are to head to the S Pacific, after bringing the boat to the US, so lots of downwind sailing.
What inventory have you found most useful? What sailmakers have you used? Any issues?
you would do well to look at an oxley parasail for downwind. grant can get it for u. you will want a couple of clip on barber haul blocks with 2m of line to keep the sail down when flying off to one side and to keep the sheets off the hatches
It really is not that hard if you do it right (that is not to say I do all the time ). We don’t use guy lines, just the two sheets. I think if you use the guy it might lift the boat a bit more but have never used them. This is our most enjoyable sail.
We have an Oxley parasail aboard. We always run it with 4 lines 2 x guys, 2 x sheets as it gives more control - especially if you are caught out by a squall.
We had additional spin lock hammers added from new on the outer edge of the deck to facilitate the four lines going to two winches…
When it’s flying we love it. When it’s time to get it down, less so…
Whilst we have flown it for days at a time, on the run from Panama to French Polynesia it did not go up once due to wind direction/squally conditions/wind strengths. We still hot to French Polynesia…
There is quite a lot of work to launch/recover it so we don’t even consider it on shorter passages.
Another option is a “Blue Water Runner” which to be honest in hind-sight, I think we would get more use out of.
). We don’t use guy lines, just the two sheets. I think if you use the guy it might lift the boat a bit more but have never used them. This is our most enjoyable sail.