Downwind Sails For Racing Sailors

A Competition-Focused Guide from UK Sailmakers

At UK Sailmakers, we understand that racing sailors demand the ultimate in performance from their sails. Too often the sailors’ focus in on the upwind sails, but with at least half of every race off the wind, spinnakers and other downwind specialty sails deserve due consideration, too.

Every fraction of a knot matters in competitive sailing, and selecting the right sail inventory can make the difference between winning and losing. This comprehensive guide will help you optimize your downwind sail selection for maximum racing performance.

UK Sailmakers’ racing downwind sails represent the pinnacle of performance sailing technology. Our comprehensive range of racing-specific designs, combined with advanced materials and construction techniques, provides competitive sailors with the tools they need to succeed on the racecourse.

Contact your local UK Sailmakers loft to discuss your racing program’s specific needs and how we can help optimize your downwind sail inventory for maximum performance.

Performance-Oriented Design Philosophy

Downwind racing sails require a different approach from cruising sails because of the varied situations during which they could be set. For our downwind racing sails, regardless of their apparent wind angle or intended wind velocity range, all of our designs focus on:

• Maximum speed potential – after all, isn’t that what it’s all about?
• Optimal VMG (Velocity Made Good) – getting you downwind efficiently
• Quick maneuverability – much more the case for racers than cruisers
• Weight optimization – every pound aloft can impact performance
• Shape stability under load – a designed shape that providing reliable performance
• Fast sail transitions – changing gears effectively and efficiently wins races

Advanced Materials and Construction

UK Sailmakers uses state-of-the art materials and construction techniques for our downwind racing sails:

High-Performance Materials

• Advanced nylon: Ultra-lightweight for spinnakers
• Specialized laminates: For Code Zeros and high-load specialty sails
• Custom racing fabrics: Developed specifically for competitive sailing
• High-strength composites: For maximum durability in racing conditions

Construction Features

• Reinforcement where it’s needed: Too much reinforcement adds to the weight of a sail. We reinforce our downwind sails at the points based on aerodynamic loads paths
• Weight-optimized patches: Made from materials that maintain strength while minimizing weight
• Advanced Seaming: Reducing stretch and increasing durability
• Precision Shape Control: Ensuring the sail maintains its shape to provide consistent performance

Downwind Racing Sail Types

Asymmetrical Spinnakers (A-Sails)

Modern race boats recognize that sailing with a non-overlapping jib on any point of sail other than on-the-wind compromises performance. They also realize that with asymmetrical spinnakers, they are unable to soak downwind as deeply as their symmetrical spinnaker competitors. That’s why competitive race programs have a broad compliment of spinnakers and other off-the-wind specialty sails. These lighter displacement boats turn up and down creating their own apparent wind and demand the right sail for each situation. UK Sailmakers has been a leader in spinnaker design development for decades and is at the forefront of designing code zeros, jib topsails, and other specialty sails for use once cracked off. The winning strategy is to set the right sail for the specific condition. Here are some examples with asymmetrical spinnakers:

Symmetrical Spinnakers

Traditionally designed boats are primarily rigged with a spinnaker pole for flying a symmetrically shaped spinnaker. Just like A-sails, symmetrical spinnakers are designed and built to provide peak performance at specific wind ranges and points of sail and are made with reaching and running designs. And, whereas an A-sail is ineffective sailing deeper than 150 degrees apparent, a boat with a symmetrical spinnaker can sail dead downwind in the proper conditions. UK Sailmakers design symmetrical spinnakers that maximize projected area and VMG potential. In general, the reaching spinnakers have narrower shoulders than the runners.

Flying Headsails

The flying headsail is slightly larger, jib/genoa whose mid girth fits within the required rules. The new sail measures somewhere between a code zero and a headsail. Currently, all major rating rules, including IRC, ORC, ORR, and PHRF, allow and rate these sails, with a slightly different interpretation.

Technical Specifications:

• Shaped like a genoa with a high-cut clew
• Flatter than a code zero
• Is tacked forward of the headstay on a sprit or spinnaker pole set as low as possible
• Best used with a top-down furling system

Flying Jibs and Jib Topsails

The flying jib is about the size of a non-overlapping boat’s biggest jib but it is set forward of the headstay with a tack strop, it has a very high clew, and can be used when double or triple headsail close reaching. It is set using a roller furler and will sheet well aft of the regular jib and some boats use whisker poles set to the clew to open the slot further. Under IRC, the flying jib is still “free” rating-wise and can give you an extra knot or more when close reaching.

Racing Genoas

While primarily upwind sails, racing genoas can play a crucial role in the downwind inventory.

Racing Features:

• Can be made with high-performance laminate construction materials and methods
• Precision shape and leech twist control using lead position and halyard tension
• Optimal foot depth for reaching

Strategic Use:

• Light air broad reaching when a spinnaker won’t fill
• Often combined with a staysail
• VMG sailing in under 8 knots