In 2021, just before we left Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, for the Atlantic crossing, I bought a 8 m diameter round sail as downwind sail to be used when the wind becomes too strong for the gennaker. It is said, it can be used in winds from 10 KN to up to the high 30 KN thus, is can cover the wind range of squalls.

We tried it during the Atlantic crossing and it didn’t work. It did neither pull MaRe forward nor in downwind direction. Since yesterday I assume that the wind was too weak.

Yesterday I tried this sail again in winds of around 12 – 15 KN AWS and it pulled MaRe nicely forward. As we were really on running course with the AWA around 180 deg, it proved to be ideal for such a course when the wind gets too much for a gennaker and a genoa needs to get the wind forward of 170 AWA.

What requires experience is the right height of the sail in various wind conditions. If flown on maximum height, it can’t fall into the water. But depending on the wind and wave conditions it must be flown lower. I flew it low to reduced the swinging from PRT to STB. However, I flew it too low. When we got a strong wind shift pushing the round sail into an abeam direction and a bit further, it collapsed and fell into the water. It was a bit of work but we could retrieve it.

Once the round sail was secured on deck, we pulled out the genoa to move on with a wind vane angle set to 170 deg PRT, the best possible setting.

I got the round sail ready for a re-launch actually pretty fast.

However, considering that the wind was forecasted to turn E and weaken down to 5 KN, decision was made to not launch the round sail again but to continue with the genoa.