What is a reacher sail?

A drifter (also called a reacher) is a lightweight, larger genoa for use in light winds. Thanks to the extra sail area the sail offers better downwind performance than a genoa. It’s generally made from lightweight nylon. Thanks to it’s genoa characteristics the sail is easier to use than a cruising spinnaker.

How do you size a drifter sail?

You can measure the luff of an existing sail to give us an accurate luff length. If you presently have a genoa that is 150\%, the foot length is 150\% of the J measurement. A drifter can be longer in the foot if your boat is set up for the increase in foot length.

What is a screecher sail used for?

A screecher is specifically a multihull term for a very large, very flat sail for going upwind or just cracked off. Catamarans and trimarans have notoriously small jibs, making them grossly underpowered in light breeze.

What is a windseeker sail?

Wind Seeker This is a very light sail for drifting conditions. Wind Seekers are commonly made in forgiving cloth to handle slatting conditions and designed to sheet at or near the shroud base, to make tacking and sheeting in zephyrs easier.

What is the difference between a genoa and jib?

Jibs are typically 100\% to 115\% LP and are generally used in areas with heavier winds. Typically a jib will be no greater than 115\% of the fore-triangle dimensions. A genoa is similar to a jib but is larger and reaches past the mast. It will typically overlap a mainsail to some extent.

What is a cruising spinnaker?

The Cruising Spinnaker is an asymmetrical pole-less spinnaker that combines the ease of handling of a jib or genoa with the pulling power of a spinnaker. Because the generic name is so long, and because it improves a boat’s light-air downwind speed so much, we named the sail The UK Cruising Spinnaker.

What is an A3 sail?

The A3 is the choice for reaching in medium air. It is a full size sail made of medium weight material. The sail is designed flatter than the A2 to improve reaching but with a longer luff than the A1 to sail broader angles in moderate breeze.

What is a staysail on a sailboat?

A staysail (“stays’l”) is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit, or to another mast (the mast is item 13 in the illustration right).

What is a flying jib?

Definition of flying jib : a sail outside the jib on an extension of the jibboom — see sail illustration.

What’s the difference between a jib and a genoa sail?

A jib is a foresail that does not extend aft beyond the mast; a genoa, on the other hand, is larger and will overlap the mast and part of the mainsail. A jib sail is used for strong winds and is easy to handle, while the genoa is perfect for downwind sailing in light winds.

What is the wind range of a drifter sail?

Its wind range is from 1-15 knots when the apparent wind angle is 30-90 degrees. It can be used on a run when set wing-and-wing with a whisker pole. A Drifter is even easier to use than a cruising spinnaker since the sail has the same profile as a genoa.

How useful is a drifter on a boat?

When sailing in the Chesapeake Bay, our drifter would keep us moving on windless days. We would put it up for a few hours to keep moving while the winds died down. Once the winds returned we would strike it and put up the jib in its stead. We liked our drifter but had no idea just how useful it is until we set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

What is a drifter Genoa?

A Drifter is a full-draft, lightweight nylon No. 1 genoa that does away with the frustration and aggravation of sailing in light air. Drifters are a hybrid designed specifically for cruising sailors. Its wind range is from 1-15 knots when the apparent wind angle is 30-90 degrees.

Is the spinnaker the most useful sail on a boat?

While the spinnaker may be the least useful sail on a boat, I would say that its counterpart, the drifter, is the most useful sail to have. When sailing in the Chesapeake Bay, our drifter would keep us moving on windless days.