30th April 2024« All News Items
Offshore Sails ARE Different
If you are planning to race offshore this year, you should certainly consider the huge return that a relatively small investment in sails which are designed and built for the purpose can deliver. Offshore sails are engineered specifically to cope with the unique conditions exerienced during this aspect of our sport and one or two additions to your sail inventory could make a considerable difference to the performance of your boat.
For example, upwind sails could have more fibre in the lay-up to add strength or backed with taffeta to improve their durability. The number and position of reefing points can enable safe and efficient use of the sails in the higher wind ranges and the addition of overhead leech lines means that the finer details of sail trim can be accomplished easily from the cockpit irrespective of the number of reefs deployed at any time.
Offshore downwind sails are frequently made with heavier edge tapes and tend to have slightly larger corner patches. They may feature luff chevrons which will enable the trimmer to see the shape of the sail more easily in fading light.
The team at Ultimate Sails has extensive experience working with owners who wish to build a dedicated offshore sail inventory for their campaigns but you do not have to spend a fortune or start from scratch: the introduction of just one additional sail to your wardrobe can deliver a significant competitive advantage over the opposition.
Getting these options right before the start can give you significant advantages over your opposition. If you know your polars and you have an accurate sail selection chart (Ultimate Sails can help with both) it is easy to see how selection of the right sail from your offshore inventory can help.
For example in a modern typical 36 footer, if you are racing offshore in 8 knots of True Wind Speed over 20 miles at 80 degrees True Wind Angle for 3 hours:
- A Code "0" would give you 6.6 knots of boat speed so you would sail 19.8 miles
- A Jib Top would give you 6.27knots of boat speed so you would sail 18.81 miles
- A Code 2 Jib would give you 6.13knots of boat speed so you would sail 18.39 miles
So you can see the real gain in performance these specialist offshore sails make especially as they dont change your rating.
Call Ultimate Sails today and talk to us about your offshore plans and we will help you get to the finish line faster.
