Main or Jib?

[Big E]

When people sail with just one sail up, I've noticed that some use the main & some just the jib (or genoa.) In my humble opinion, I go with the genoa--seems to point up a little better. I'd like to get others thoughts on this one. Thanks to all!!

[seadawg]

I sail with a friend on his j14 and we maneuver very well at all angles with mainsail alone but my 22 is a dog without some mainsail and some jjib! Review some recent posts for alot more discussion of this subject. Cheers. Charlie.

[Paul D.]

I like to play around with it. Mostly, if upwind and I only want to fly one sail I will go with the main and downwind the genny. But not always. Sometimes I have soloed with the genny in light air so I could douse it simply by rolling it up.

I think Carl Alberg did balance the sail plan to allow for either sail allowing the boat to handle well enough. But I think it really depends on wind and waves as to what I would use.

Paul

[Dave H]

I agree with Charlie, it's best with main and jib. I think the jib drives and the main balances. I love it when other boats are using one sail. I sail by bigger boats with a reefed main and working jib.
Dave

[Al Levesque]

I almost never "sail" with just one sail. The main reefs down and I have jibs down to storm size. However, when returning to the mooring, maneuvering in tight quarters, or anchoring I always use main alone. On the other side, it's fun to sail in a strong wind with a double reefed main and a storm jib.

[Duncan]

I had five days of engineless sailing in the CD27 as I waited for some parts this summer. In close manoeuvers (anchoring in a crowd, sailing into a slip), a " bit of both" seemed to work much better than either one alone.

In particular, the main didn't seem to do much of anything without at least some jib. This was actually quite handy, as I could use the jib for some power, then loose the sheets, and stall the main to slow or stop the boat.

For sailing in open waters, the main by itself doesn't do much at all on my boat. The genoa alone can get the boat along decently in light to moderate winds, but it's much better with both.

[rtbates]

for me it's always the genoa, 130, if I'm sailing with just one sail. It's on a roller furler and being lazy means it's so much easier to set and douse. Fortunately our 25D likes the 130 only. As a matter of fact I just got in from sailing in some pretty good North wind and had the lee rail under quite often beating. That said the BEST combo is still a reefed main AND a reefed headsail.