Received: from zonker-fddi.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA26528; Thu, 13 Apr 1995 15:59:45 -0700 Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA29595; Thu, 13 Apr 1995 15:59:39 -0700 Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 15:59:39 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9504132259.AA29595@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Re: Race Sails
> I have a chance to buy sail that is the size and brand I am looking
> for (5.2 Northwave) at a very good price. The catch is that it is a
> full on race sail. I am not an expert, my water starts work, my jibes
> don't.
I had one expensive afternoon in '92 when a friend loaned me his '91
Windwing Race Pro. My same-size Gaastra sail was behaving very badly
that gusty day and I had this sudden feeling of "oh, *that's* what
it's supposed to feel like in a gust". I figure that one hour cost me
about $2000 as I dumped my old quiver and built a quiver of Race Pros
(used) in the next month, but it's made me a very happy camper. I now
figure anything less than race or top-end recreational sails are a waste
of time and money.
>From talking to designers, I think that full-on race sails tend to be a
bit more tweakier to trim and go upwind better than top-end recreational
sails. I think the biggest functional difference for recreational use
is that a race sail may (depending on the make) have a huge luff sleave
which is an effort to drain once it fills.
The best thing about race sails is that they will have the largest wind
range of any sail. The second best thing is that the racers turn their
quivers yearly, so last year's race sails are pretty cheap.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Windwing '91 Race Pro 3.7,4.2,4.7,5.2; '94 Race Pro 6.2,7.0.
"Windsurfing makes skiing look like a ghetto sport."
-- Moe Dixon
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