Your Sail Wardrobe: What's in it? What's on your wish list?

[UNCIVILIZED]

The topic of sail buying comes up frequently here on CF. Primarily as relates to mains & jibs, but occasionally about some type of light air sail. Like a cruising Code 0, or spinnaker. And for whatever odd reason(s) folks seem averse to spending coin on good sails, even when their old ones are long, long past due for replacing. Or they really, really need a light air sail: I mean it is a sailboat, right?
So… I’m curious as to what you guys really keep onboard in terms of your quiver/wardrobe of sails. As well as where you store them, both underway, & when in port.

Me, if it’s not obvious, I’m a big believer in having an inventory which covers the full spectrum of wind strengths & angles. So, “ideally” I’d have:
- Racing/True Code 0 on it’s own furler, probably stored on deck in all but the worst weather. perhaps in it’s bag.
- #2 on the headstay (furler).
- Solent or Staysail, either on deck in it’s bag, or furled up on it’s stay, depending on the rig design.
- Main, on the mast.
- Trysail, bagged at the base of the mast, slides in place on their own track.
- Storm Jib or Storm Staysail down below, within easy reach.
- Spare #2, or a #1 down below. Bricked, so as to be a compact package.
- Ditto a #3, for keeping on the headstay/furler in areas where there’s typically more wind.
- Spare Main, or Heavy air Main. Probably the old one, just in case. Bricked, sans battens, like the jibs.
- 1.5oz Reaching Spinnaker in it’s own sock, stowed in a bag.
- 1.5oz Runner (Optional/A Luxury) in it’s own sock, stowed in a bag.
- A wire luffed Staysail, or Windseeker jib, set free flying on it’s own furling gear (a Luxury sail).

Most (all) of the above sails, combined, when stowed in a semi-tidy fashion would fit into a spare single bunk. Since bricked sails are tiny packages. And spinnakers tend to compress well.

So what’s in your quiver?
Where do you keep them?
What’s on your wish list in terms of sails? And in what order of acquisition?
Also, are you averse to any particular sail types, & if so, why?
Ditto on any particular cloths or materials?
Plus, what’s your favorite light air setup, say, for winds under 10kts, reaching & downwind?
And, this may be key: What sail are you putting off buying?

Keep in mind too that one can usually find good quality used sails for quite reasonable prices. And that many sails can be recut to fit your boat nearly perfectly, for a little extra $.

[Pete7]

New main this year lives on the mast as its in mast reefing.

Genoa was replaced 3 years ago.

Cruising chute (asymmetric) comes out in 10 knots of steady wind and it packed away if it goes 14-15 knots.

80% spare jib under forward bunk just in case Genoa blows out.

Storm jib has only ever been hoisted in the harbour to test it out and lives under forward berth.

Old sails are sold off on e bay, just no point in keeping them and might help another yachtie.

Spinnaker to big and too much trouble for single handed or sailing with SHMBO. Twin head sails with twizzle rig could be interesting.

Pete

[Training Wheels]

Main, Jib on furler. Asso and Sym in socks stored in float. Going to buy a used asso to be smaller, disposable chicken chute.

[Liam Wald]

roller furl main in mast, #2 roller furl main in cockpit locker, RF 135% Jib on furler, RF 110% Jib in v-berth, cruising spinnaker in cockpit locker, ATN gale sail storm jib in v-berth.

[zeehag]

i find folks retiring their sails and ask why. once i am satisfied i can use it, i get them either by purchasing or relieving em of unwanted trash. sails are huge to store.
at present i have mine blown out by stitchery error, deliberate vs ineptitude, 150 percent, one replacement also roller genoa, slightly smaller, from a cabo rico 38, one main on boom, one main from cabo rico 38, 2 mizzensails, one repaired one newish. both usable. i may have 3 mizzensails as cabo rico main boom is 14 ft and my mizzenboom is 14.5 ft.......
so, added together, i have 2 genoas, 1 spinnaker needing a sock, 2 main 2 mizzen or 3 mizzen and 1 main, which is rarely if ever in use on my boat. it holds boom down. hahahahaha. i want a spinnaker i can use on my mizzen mast. or a yankee for mizzen as i donot use my mainsail at all when i sail alone. would love to rollerfurl all my sails as lung ta did with theirs. awesomest. easy use.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day, Unciv, man of insatiable curiosity!

We carry:

Mainsail, triradial, Hydranet, three full and two long leech battens, two years old now.
120% genoa, triradial, Hydranet, one year old now, on furler.
Solent jib (equals #4 jib +/-) dacron cross cut, three years old now.
Spinnaker, triradial, 1.5 oz nylon in sock, masthead, antique except cross cut panels replaced 5 years ago after an explosion.
Storm jib, dacron, hank-on, could be hoisted on baby stay but don't use it since putting the Solent on a furler.

Spinny and storm jib in sail locker forward, others on boom and furlers.

Do not carry spares, feeling that no one sail is indispensable, and by buying high quality sails of conservative weights long before the old ones are risky, the chances of failure are slim. This has been borne out by zero catastrophic failures, barring the woopsie with our 30 year old kite!

We don't use the kite very much any more due to geezerdom, and would consider a cruising zero on a furler... might give that a try.

Nice thing about an easily driven hull shape and a big rig is that decent performance in fairly light airs can be had without special sails... but better of course with them.

Jim

[a64pilot]

New 135 Genoa and new Staysail, main is in good shape and no spare for it.
I kept old headsails, had them inspected and repaired if needed and have a Cruising Code Zero coming, on its own furler.
I'm new to this, but talking to other cruisers like myself, people that are not racers, is they have a Spinnaker they used it once, decided it was too much hassle and or were afraid of getting caught in a squall with it up.
I may one day possibly go with an asymmetrical, on its own top down furler as furling I believe I can do single handed, and I already have the furler, so it won't hurt quite as bad $$$ wise.

I'm curious about running the cruising code zero and the 135 as twin headsails with the Genoa poled out, don't see what that wouldn't work?
I do not have a lightweight easily driven hull.

[Calif.Ted]

Full batten Dacron main with 2 reefpoints, 110 Dacron jib, 155 Ullman Mylar Genny on furler with an ATN jib sock for UV protection, 1.75 oz. UK "Flasher" assy in an ATN sock, and a never used ATN gale sail courtesy of the previous owner. Never used because I've never realized I was going to need it until it was too late to try and hank it on in a gale, never met a gale with the courtesy to "call ahead" they've always descended unexpectedly like unwanted relatives.

[lamadriver]

130 genoa Hyrda net (2017)

3 reef fully battened heavy weather main (2017)

heavy hank on dacron Staysail; goes on baby stay. l. Usually on deck for long passages.

CCZ on continous line furler ( usually in bag on deck for passages) (2016)

Asym spinnaker in Sock, in bag down below

Storm job ( flown on baby stay - solent stay was removed), down below

Trisail _ never been out of bag. down below.

All bagged sails have own set of color coded sheets already on them

[sandy stone]

Either old crosscut main w/ 2 reefs & old biradial 155 on furler, or new triradial main w/ 1 reef & new triradial 155, depending on whether it's racing season or not. The sails not being used are stored in the house. Also on the boat in the cockpit locker are a #3, a 3/4 oz chute, and a never used storm jib. Where did you get the idea that bricked sails don't take up much room? My folded sails are a big, heavy handful. And what did you mean by 'ideally I'd have?' What do you really have?

[Adelie]

Have:
1. Medium weight crosscut Dacron main with 1 reef that isn't rigged.
2. Medium weight crosscut Dacron hank-on 112% fractional jib
3. Whisker pole

Short term wants:
1. Masthead drifter
2. Storm jib
3. 2nd reef point in main and both reefs rigged

[estarzinger]

Main
#3 on furler (fractional rig)
Three sizes of staysails (one always hanked on)
Try sail (hanked on on passage)
Zero and a2 (deck zipper bag if might be used in next 24 hrs, otherwise put away)
Two different sizes of yankee cut jibs (110ish and 130ish) on spectra luffa (usually run using the zero furler).

Hawk had a decent size dedicated sail locker. That inventory would be too big for a cruising boat without such a space - and you could trim it quite a bit without losing much speed.

Spare main is just not practical on this size rig. We twice put the trysail up for a couple days, when we had a problem with the main, waiting for a good weather window to do a repair. Carrying stuff to fix main more practical than a spare. Might be different on a much smaller rig.

[roland stockham]

Main, High cut jib, No 2 jib, staysail, storm jib, square sail, top sail. (square + top = same area as standard spinnaker). Slab reefing on main and square sails. All foresails on hanks

[Valmika]

You mean there are different sails then just the one in the front and the one in the back?

[Captain Mark]

Headsail(s): Super Sail 110% Genoa on rolling furler, and a North 130% Jib in locker. Ballooner in bag in locker.

Main: Two mains, one is on the mast roller furler and one in the locker.

Mizzen: Mizzen in-mast roller furler and a mizzen staysail.

Also, a couple of pillow cases and a sheet as backups!