New Sails!
On Sunday 18 July I took my brand new Quantum sails out for a little test sail and I am really happy with how they turned out. It was a light afternoon with wind ranging anywhere from 3-10 knots. This was perfect conditions for putting up the sails for the first time without pushing them too hard just yet. That will come in time…
The sail inventory included a new mainsail, jib, A5, Code 0, A3R, and A2. The shape and cut of all these news sails are completely different too, so I cannot wait to get them out on the race course with other Minis.
Mainsail: These are required to still be dacron for production boats, which means they are durable and can withstand continuous use while ocean racing. With three reef points you can really de-power this sail in heavy winds.
Jib: While some newer materials are now allowed, they must still be strong enough to sail in heavy wind. This jib has two reef points with zippers so you can roll up the excess bottom of the sail and secure it to the sail itself. This is the black sail in the front of the boat initially in the video designed for sailing upwind. This sail is much bigger than my previous jib and really powers up the boat.
A5: This sail is designed for downwind reaching in heavy wind since it is hoisted on the fractional halyard (just above the jib halyard). My previous A5 was more of a traditional spinnaker in cloth weight and design. This sail is actually cableless and still furls with a bottom up system just like the Code 0. I decided to go with this newer design, even though I had not seen it before, because time in maneuvers is critical during solo sailing. Everything just takes longer and is more difficult than sailing with a full crew. The ability to quickly raise and lower a furled sail in strong winds is what convinced me to try out this new design. I also like how the cloth weight is slightly heavier for this sail which helps maintain its shape and is more durable.
Code 0: This sail is designed for close reaching in a wide variety of wind conditions and goes to the top of the mast to maximize sail area. It uses a furler to roll up the sail when it is not being used as well.
A3R: This is a reaching spinnaker that is on the fractional halyard. I have the ability to reef the bottom of the sail to optimize it for heavy wind sailing. This sail has the U.S. Patriot logo.
A2: This is your conventional downwind asymmetrical, masthead level spinnaker designed for running as deep as possible away from the wind. This is the spinnaker with the Fawcett logo.
I am excited for this serious increase in performance with these new sails. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to this campaign. Without donations, upgrades like these sails would not be possible. Every contribution helps get me on the race course to represent U.S. Patriot Sailing.
Check out the video of the test sail below!
