Reaching and downwind sails
HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT PART 5
How many times have you been out on a gloriously warm summer’s day, when there’s not quite enough breeze to get your boat moving nicely? All too often the result is that, instead of a satisfying and relaxing sail, getting anywhere means hours of tedious, noisy motoring.
Yet often motoring is simply not necessary. Some of my favourite sails are on super-relaxed light airs days with just enough breeze to fill a spinnaker and the boat quietly slipping along at 4 or 5 knots. Reaching and running reduces apparent wind speeds, so extra sail area is needed than when sailing close-hauled.
A lightweight reaching or downwind sail will often propel you 50% faster than just the main and headsail. Therefore a boat speed over 4.5 knots, instead of 3 knots, is often realistic even for very modest boats, meaning there’s no need for much engine use, even on longer passages.
Spinnakers have a reputation in some circles for being far too lively for many cruisers. But it doesn’t have to be like that, especially if they are only used in true winds of less than around 14 knots. There are also plenty of handling aids that can help tame even the largest sails.
Today we’re fortunate in having a wide variety of specialised downwind and reaching sails that can
