Sailing When We NEVER Thought We Could (our full sail plan)
Our 469 mile passage across the Sulu Sea has been an unexpected challenge. Because these border line doldrum, never-above-10-knots-of-wind days are putting CURIOSITY to the test.
We wanted a boat that would sail on the days we never could before (light wind). And surprisingly, we've been able to keep a decent pace on days we didn't think we would be able to sail at all (only 5-8 knots of wind). Which has made this whole passage with compromised engines, a lot less stressful.
We haven't talked much about performance, our sails or general setup yet. Mostly because we've been waiting until we had used everything (more than once). And we have been using every single sail we have. Sometimes, all in one day.
So, if you're ready for a deep dive into CURIOSITY'S sail plan, how it compares to our old boat and what we feel we're missing…this one is for you.
CURIOSITY 1
She was a 2005 Leopard 43 and we only had a mainsail (a 15 year old one at that), genoa and an asymmetrical spinnaker. That basic set up got us almost halfway around the world and across some fairly gnarly patches of ocean. But, that doesn't mean we didn't wish we had more in the toolbox!
The AHA Moment!
We really owe a lot of credit to our friends aboard s/v Ticket To Ride for helping us figure out which sails we wanted. Frank and Mary Grace took us out to sea one day with the sole purpose of seeing every single sail they had in action. We learned sooo much that day.
Nikki Wynn
💨HH44 CURIOSITY Sail Plan
We wanted an arsenal for almost any conditions. Because sailing is our primary mode of propulsion and we can sail A LOT faster than we can motor. Plus, with hydrogeneration, we can pump a lot of power back into our battery bank while we are sailing.
Our biggest concerns were all about keeping it light, easy to handle (because it's just the two of us) and honestly...easy to trim (because we like good shape but we're not experts). Which is how we ended up with Doyle Stratis sails.
As you can see from our crossover chart below, we're pretty good for most conditions. We haven't splurged for a J1 or a storm sail yet (Dear Santa). We were kind of hoping we wouldn't ever need them. And we're still holding on to that thought for the storm sail. We figure with satellite internet, we can avoid that kind of weather (wishful thinking, I know).
Main Sail ↓
- AREA: 74 sqm
- LUFF: 16.9 m
- FOOT: 6.0 m
- Reef Points: 3 (Karver Hook System)
- Doyle Stratis 1100: Carbon Fiber and Technora Primary Fibers
- Battens: C-Tech carbon fiber, 7 internal batten pockets and patches
Solent (Jib) ↓
- AREA: 51 sqm
- Range: 42 - 125 degrees TWA and 4 - 25 knots AWS
- LUFF: 17.5 m
- FOOT: 6.6 m
- 1 Reef Patch (yes, because we're cruisers and maybe one day we get lazy and want to just furl reef)
- Doyle Stratis 1100: Carbon Fiber and Technora Primary Fibers
Self Tacking Staysail ↓
- AREA: 26 sqm
- Range: 42 - 135 degrees TWA and 18 - 37 knots AWS
- LUFF: 14.1 m with Uni Directional Luff Sling
- FOOT: 4.0 m
- Doyle Stratis 1100: Carbon Fiber and Technora Primary Fibers
Cableless Reacher ↓
- AREA: 106 sqm
- Range: 50 - 135 degrees TWA and 4 - 18 knots AWS
- LUFF: 18.3 m
- FOOT: 10.4 m
- Stratis 1100: Carbon Fiber and Technora Primary Fibers
- No Torsional cable required (love it!)
- Our unique stripes are Doyles Sail Art. It is a digital print on the outside surface of the sail.
Furling Asymmetric Spinnaker ↓
- AREA: 134 sqm
- Range: 75 - 150 degrees TWA and 4 - 15 knots AWS
- LUFF: 18.7m
- FOOT: 10.0m
- Sailcloth: Contender Superkote 150
