Testimonials

As for my experience with the Gale Sail product:

After a substantial amount of research, I purchased a 100 sq. ft. Gale Sail in April 2003 for my 41' sloop (Tartan 4100). As is often the case with most cruising "experts," the advice I received regarding storm jibs was that I needed to start ordering a custom sail, drilling more holes in the boat, and adding more rigging to "simplify things." The best solution, I heard from many sources, is to install a removable forestay for my storm jib.

Given that my boat is a sloop and was not designed as a cutter, the arguments for removable a forestay (that make it into a cutter on a temporary basis) that would support a traditional storm jib were simply not compelling, particularly when one considers that putting a storm jib on it  would likely put enough tension on the mast to substantially loose the existing head stay that was supporting the roller-furled jib. I had mentioned my concern about a giant, wildly swinging sausage (lurching back and forth over the foredeck) to some advice-givers, and their immediate response was to suggest adding a hydraulic backstay adjuster to counteract the tension from the front. And since the removable head stay would have to live secured to the base of the mast when not in use, it would very much interfere with my whisker pole which had been mounted on a track on the forward side of the mast. So the elegant sliding whisker pole that I can deploy in a minute or two (single-handed) would now have to be put down on the salty deck. Given that I did not want to spend over $10,000 (the likely total cost of a forestay solution) and that I did not want to start adding a heap of new rigging topsides, the Gale Sale seemed a good choice. Besides, I figured the Gale Sail would hardly ever (if ever) get used and was really just emergency gear, or so I thought...

Sailing in May and June of this year brought several instances of winds in excess of 30 knots. Initially I would furl up the jib to the sized of half a bed sheet in order to lessen heel angle and improve control. This was my first boat that had roller furling, so reducing sail with the roller-reefing system seemed sensible.

On a few occasions I NEEDED to sail into the wind to prevent simply getting blown out to sea. As everyone who had tried a roller-furled jib as a storm sail knows, it doesn't work. I was shocked that I could not point closer than 65-70 degrees off the wind before the jib would start to luff violently. Its saggy pot-belly killed its shape such that it could not produce any meaningful lift. As aside note, 65-70 degrees is about as close to the wind as galleon can sail. It was discouraging to know my high-tech performance cruiser could point no better than the Mayflower in 30 knots of wind!

On one such occasion as above, it was blowing in the 30-35 range, seas had built up, I was quite seasick, it was cold and I just wanted to go home. The Gale Sail grudgingly came out from its storage area below decks and was deployed just like the directions say. I furled up what was left of the jib and secured its sheets to the pulpit rail on the bow and the stern pulpit rail aft, using overhand knots. This exercise took less than one minute. I had an extra set of sheets that I tied onto the Gale Sail clew and ran them back through snatch blocks on the Genoa track (one each side). Each sheet was then fed through the standard jib sheet turning block to each winch. The existing jib sheets were simply left in place in the turning block --pushed aside -- and posed no problem. I hooked on a spare halyard to the Gail Sale and raised it aloft without changing point of sail from what it was when I was sailing with the furled jib.

Just as ATN promised, the Gale Sail slides up so easily that a winch is optional even in a gale. The whole deployment process took less than five-ten minutes, and left the existing rolled-up jib firmly ensconced in the tensioned Gale Sail attachment sleeve. Because of the Gale Sail design, it becomes virtually impossible for the rolled-up jib to unroll; specifically, not only is the sail encased in a tensioned nylon sleeve for much of its length, but the foot of the Gale Sail secures with a heavy piece of line that is best lashed to the shackle that secures the foot of the rolled-up jib. Accordingly, tension on the Gale Sail equals tension on the roller furling unit such that it cannot turn on its bearings. Essentially, the Gail Sail locks the roller-furling mechanism in place. Tying down the jib sheets is done only to prevent them from falling in the drink since they are not necessary to prevent the roller-furling mechanism from turning and releasing the sail.

What happened next was superb. I hauled in the Gale Sail and I proceeded to head up to 40-45 degrees off the wind. The Gale Sail worked very well with the mainsail to enable use to make excellent progress upwind. In terms of sailing performance, it is hard for me to suggest where there is room for it. Since the first occasion mentioned above, I have had the opportunity to use the Gale Sail at least a half-dozen more times, and for the duration of an entire day twice. On certain occasions, I have dispensed with the snatch blocks on the Genoa track and instead run the sheets through the normal jib fairleads. This method works well, but on certain points of sail the sheets chafe against the shrouds. The outboard snatch block method is probably the best solution, enabling me to crank in the Gale Sail until it is almost flat (for better pointing). Strangely, I have been able to point at less than 40degrees off the wind with the Gail Sail, which is better than I can achieve with my standard jib.

In summary, the Gale Sail exceeds all expectations in terms of its sailing performance, ease of deployment, small size, and extremely rugged design (reliable). Because of the frequency of gale conditions this fall, north of Boston, I have come to rely on the Gale Sail as standard piece of equipment that I would not want to be without. Also, it is very inexpensive compared to many of the other solutions.

Gregory D. Girard