Currently, I have a 6.5 twin-cam UP 1994, and will be selling the rest
of my old sails. I'd appreciate some advice on assembling a quiver of
the new 1994-1995 sails for use in southern California, with occasional
trips to NoCal and Baja. Conditions I will be sailing in range from
15kt Seal Beach to 30kt+ Lake Isabella and Rio Vista. Current boards
are BIC E-Rock (102 L) and F2 Orbit (124 L). I'm 6'0", 185 lbs.
My goal is a sail quiver that covers a wide range of conditions (flat
water/bump/small wave) with a minimal number of sails and masts. I've
been told that the new Pryde "New Wave" RAF sails are versatile sails
that can handle a relatively wide wind range, and that I could have a
relatively complete quiver just by adding the 5.5 and 4.5 New Wave
sails. The New Waves are reportedly an improved version of the old 4WD
single cam sails. I haven't had a chance to try these sails yet, but I
tend to doubt that their effective wind range is really 1.0 meter.
As an alternate, I'm considering a 5.5 twin-cam and then 5.0 and 4.5 RAF
wave/slalom sails. Eventually, I'll probably also get a smaller board
and a 4.0 sail.
Questions:
- Do the new-style sails really have a full meter effective wind range?
- Is it only the cambered sails that have a full meter range?
- Should you use 1.0 meter spacing above 5.0 or 5.5, and 0.5 meter
spacings below?
- What spacings work best in your quiver?
Thanks for any input you may have.
Gordon Bloom
Huntington Beach, CA
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