The Ballad Exchange

Took the Ballad out for a toot today to try a 150 Genoa I had never used ... works well!

How was tacking & gybing the big sail? Is your working genoa a 135% or so? That's where we are leaning, a 135% to 138% on a furler (reefable to 100%). Then a nylon (?) 'drifter' or Code Zero of about 145% tacked to the anchor platform, probably on a removable furler. That's for winds up to 9-10kts.

Good time to be sailing up there! Did your photographer take any video?

Hi Bob,
Sorry, no video
My regular use jib is a 130 and reefs down quite well (although I hate to put creases in that nice new Dacron). I also have about a 145 nylon drifter that when the luff is winched tight will point fairly high. But on occasions where there is wind on the nose I thought the big Genny would perform best, and it does. It creates a bit of a blind spot, so maybe a window would be good. Tacking and gybing work OK, but I need more practice.
I also have an old 100 jib, with a pendant on the tack to keep it up high, that works well in a blow with heavy seas ... and it will furl down to almost nothing.
From my limited experience I think your sail choices are right on.

Do you fly your nylon drifter on its own luff? I'm trying to decide if a 2:1 halyard is needed; might forego all that extra hardware & line aloft & use a 2:1 or 3:1 tack strop instead? I just love how small & light a nylon light air sail packs down, & how well it stands up in a swell at 3kts wind speed. Tho it becomes positively scary when the wind approaches 10kts. Draft keeps getting deeper, and deeper....

Definitely could use a window on that 150! Or maybe an automotive 'backup camera' mounted to the pulpit.

You always have such good sail shape on your boats.