Because we sail two-handed, we have a furling headsail, but not so that we can reef. We see the advantages of a furling headsail as purely one of ease of stowing on arrival (or in preparation prior to launching a gennaker) and never sail the boat with the headsail furled. The shape and center of effort of a partly furled headsail is just too much of a trade off for our liking and we don't like to see so much stress where the edges of the sail wrap around. Although there are things you can do to reduce the problems--foam luffs etc.--they never entirely go away.

Our first two boats had overlapping masthead genoas, with a selection of various sized sails from lightweight 130% to small heavy storm jibs.

We soon got bored fighting sail changes on the foredeck. OK if fully crewed when racing, but painful 2-handed.

Our third boat was fractionally rigged with a large main combined with a small overlapping headsail and more importantly, a furling drum. Being a relatively high performance yacht, we quickly learned that sailing with a partially furled headsail was not very efficient, but having a huge main meant that we would slab reef the main a couple of times before the fractional headsail needed reducing, resulting in efficient sailing.

When we started racing the boat--two handed--we bought a very flat 100% genoa, which we would change over with the overlapping headsail so we wouldn't have to sail with a partially furled sail. For most races we would choose the sail to put on the foil before we started, and wind changes could normally be accommodated with much easier, safer and faster reefs in the main.

With our flat 100% Genoa and 2 reefs in the main, the boat would go to weather in strong winds like a train, a very wet train, but fun nevertheless. We almost grew to like sailing in strong winds; the boat was relatively upright, pointing high and going very quickly, and it won us some prizes.

So when we moved up to Sundeer, what appealed were the 100% masthead Genoa and big main and mizzen. We use the furling drum simply for stowing the sail, and have two other sails which hank onto the inner forestay: one the equivalent of our 100% Genoa from before, which we call the staysail, and the other a storm sail. With our staysail up and two reefs in the main and mizzen, we have a very balanced sailplan with a low centre of effort, and have used it many times to go to weather in open ocean conditions with winds over 25 knots true. The low centre of effort means the boat sails upright and is comfortable.

We used this sailplan a couple of times recently when sailing around the UK, and were amazed at the number of yachts around going nowhere with partially furled headsails and full mains, heeled over and shipping loads of water. Because the furling drum makes it easier to reduce sail area compared to reefing the main, rather than making an efficient choice, skippers were taking the easy option and suffering for it.

The staysail hanks onto an inner forestay. We did think of installing a furling drum but then would have problems if we needed to go down to the Storm jib. If we were starting again we would probably do this, it would have saved a number of wet times on the foredeck.

Now, however, before a passage, if there is any risk of need to use the staysail, we hank it on and leave it bagged on the foredeck ready to hoist. It traveled that way all the way up the Red Sea last year, and we are sure that Murphy's Law was operating--as we had it hanked on already we never needed to use it!

We do however have another sail on a furler. We have a Genoa made from heavy spinnaker cloth with a wire luff that we launch on a furling drum using a continuous rope. We fly it from the mizzen and it gives us a well-balanced rig for winds up to 20/25 knots from 90 to 150 degrees apparent. If a squall comes through, we just roll the sail up and wait for it to pass, then unfurl it again. It makes it ideal for squally trade wind sailing, and safer to fly short-handed at night than a gennaker or spinnaker from the main mast.

The rig configuration of THETA VOLANTIS (no backstays and swept back spreaders) means that we reach and gybe down the course rather than running down the rhumb line, which is fine by us, as we are not fond of the rolling motion of sailing dead down wind. Consequently the boat is not set up to fly twin headsails.

Storm Sail
We carry a storm sail. We have never had to use it (our staysail has always been adequate). Initially we decided that we didn't need one and that the staysail would be sufficient, but having seen how easily a sail can be lost or damaged in extreme conditions (the hanks on our staysail opened when we were laid over by an 80 knot gust) we decided to carry a storm sail as a precaution.

Material
Our white sails are made from Vectran (Hood's own cloth) and we have been very pleased with the performance of this material. It has survived and kept its shape far better than Dacron and is much more durable than laminated sails. It seems to us that it is the perfect compromise for those who are interested in performance but who don't want to have to change their sails every few years. On our previous boat we kept a 'cruising' main and a racing main. That's just not viable on a long distance cruising boat (especially not on a ketch) so Vectran has been an ideal choice for us. The mizzen is now 9 years old, has been around the world and been hoisted for over 30,000 miles and still has significant life in it.

UV Protection
Because we care about sail shape, initially we didn't have a UV protective strip put on our Genoa. Instead we had a cover made, which was hoisted on a halyard and then tightened with ropes that ran around the cover. It worked in theory, and in practice when there was not too much wind, but in a breezy anchorage or berth it was very difficult to tighten the lines sufficiently to stop the cover flapping.

The other problem was that it was never very easy to hoist and tighten (it always needed two pairs of hands) so if we were just stopping overnight we sometimes wouldn't bother to put it on. Tropical sun is very unforgiving and we felt that our occasional negligence was taking its toll on the sailcloth. So finally we accepted that a sacrificial strip was the best compromise solution and had one retro fitted. It worked OK, but when we replaced the Genoa and had a strip fitted on the new sail it was a much better solution.

(SetSail note: Colleen and Brian have finished their circumnavigation, and their beloved THETA VOLANTIS is now for sale. Even if you're not in the market for a new boat, click here to check out a very detailed listing that is full of interesting information.)