Head sail comparisons - genoas vs. jib

Hi Adrian,

Wow, quick response time!  I guess I should have mentioned that I am not keen on furlers.  I had one on a previous boat and was underwhelmed by it for several reasons.  The primary reason came when it failed to furl up one day, which is terribly inconvenient when one is alone in a blow!  Yes, I do have a 130% #2 genny that seems to work pretty well in all but the lightest winds and has sufficient power for working through a lumpy sea state when combined with a reefed main. I guess I was wondering if the working jib was meant to be carried in the same wind ranges as the #3 and 2 - is it too big for the 20 knot wind speed range?  Would it draw in, say, the 7 to 10 kn. range?  I've always sailed on racer/cruiser boats with multiple headsails and am not familiar with the use of a cruiser's working jib.  One thought is to simply leave the #1 ashore when I have overnight company aboard.

The Alber 29 is also in my pantheon of divine boats - an logical and beautiful progression from the Contessa.

Yep, a sail or two could go in the lazarette but not until I get the dampness problem fixed!  I can store all the sails I have, although when I have to store my man too it can get a bit cramped (put man in lazarette?).  If I get involved with other discussions in this forum you'll see that I appreciate elegant simplicity and have minimalist tendancies.  The question that I started out with is: can I accomplish as much with two sails - #1 and jib - as I can with the three (four with storm jib) that I pack now.  Partly it's me pursuing "enough", not more than enough.

Your comments agree with my observations so far:  That the #1, by percentage of hoisted sail time, is not a crucial sail.  I am pleased with how little sail the boat needs to move, especially given her wetted surface and weight.  Thanks for the insight.

I tried the working jib out for the first time last week and the boat was noticably faster up wind compared to the rolled genoa I had on the day before.It also moved along nicely down wind in the dying breeze.A reefing 110 with three reefs in the main would be my choice if I only had two sails and a motor.I hope to aquire a storm jib in the fall and meanwhile funtion with #2,#3,cruising chute andthree reef main.It does seem like a highly subjective thing.

Hi Bilgeret,

I know someone who is looking to offload a storm jib from a CS 27 that might be suitable for the Contessa.  If you'd like I could take a look at it when I get the chance and let you know its condition.  I don't know if the sail is suitable for a CO, you'd have to find one out there to look at.  I could try it on my boat, but you'd have to trust my opinion - yikes!  You're right, sail choices are very subjective, but by reading the entries under the topic "How old are your sails" and the entries here, other CO owners have ditched the original 150% and have moved to either a smaller hanked-on headsail compliment, or gone to roller furling.  The only reason I inquired about the general-purpose jib as an option is because I've never used one - always genoa cut sails in fairly close size increments.  I am happy with my 130% and my 100% so I will try leaving the big 150% behind when I feel the need for space and simplicity.  I will also keep my storm jib.  I've had Virago out on a couple of outings already where the #3 was at its limit and the boat didn't really seem to mind, so the storm jib may be a good option to keep open.

If I could pick only one headsail, and no furling, I'd get a 110% or so, and then I'd put a reef in it, high up, and then lower down, I'd put a zip-off reef like the Pardey's have on their BCC.  So, from 110%, down to say 85%-90%, winds still easy to handle zipping off something, then a reef for down to, say, 55% or so.  Heck, put in a third reef for a 30%, by then, you should also have third reef in main.

Right now, my 135% rolls in to 110 or less after about 15k, then goes down one % per knot, har har!

It's your comfort level really.  THe minute way too many things are falling down below is when I start to reef.  And when I am hanging on as she is heading to 35 to 40 degrees, I'm thinking third reef, just for comfort's sake!

Hi John,

Thanks for the details.  This past two weeks I carried my #2 (130%), #3 (100%), and storm jib.  I have to agree that the 3 is by far the most versatile of sails.  In lighter airs the boat balances better under the 2 (Raudachl made a big main), but the 3 would done nearly as well in performance.  I did not miss my 150% at all, though we've had a fairly windy summer up here on Georgian Bay.  As for storm jibs, I know of one for sale.  It's off a CS 27 and it's easily the most heavily built sail I've ever seen.  Built by Lee Sails of Hong Kong.  It's a bit bigger than the storm jib built for the Contessa, but I'll bet it's about 90%.  If you are interested leave a note and I'll try to get the details for you.  I suppose I should post this in the "for sale" section of the forum....  Last week I had an occasion to sail Virago under storm jib and reefed main and made 5.5 knots upwind!  That's speed over ground measured with a GPS in strong winds with moderate chop.