![]() ![]() If a code zero is for light wind, does that mean I’ll be motoring less? Do you use it for offshore cruising? Or would I use it in a harbor as well? It often more than doubles your sail area and can increase performance up to 30% as compared to a non-overlapping genoa. In light air the added speed generated from the sail is significant. How much extra performance should I expect to get out of a cruising code zero? Most cruising code zeros are designed primarily for use in 85°-100°TWA. Ultimately it depends on the righting moment of your boat and how comfortable you are with how much the sail may make your boat heel in significant breeze or at tighter angles. You can typically use a cruising code zero from 70° true wind angle (TWA) in very light air up to 110° TWA in 15+knts. What wind ranges and wind angles do you use a cruising code zero in? If someone occasionally races in beer-can races, can they use the cruising code zero to race?Ī cruising code zero will rate as a genoa, so if it is larger than your largest genoa (and they always are!) you have to report it or not use it. It is ideal for modern boats that have small non-overlapping headsails. Essentially it provides more horsepower in light air, making sailing much more enjoyable. This reduces heel and makes the sail more efficient and versatile. With a cruising code zero we can make the leech much straighter vertically, which allows us to make a straighter exit for the wind. The sail works like a very light, very large genoa. Since cruising sails don’t have to meet any racing requirements we can actually make a much better sail for cruisers. How does the sail cross-over for cruising? The mid-girth measurement is used in the rules to prevent teams from making 180% genoas and calling them spinnakers without the sail impacting their rating. Sails built with a mid-girth length (the shortest distance between the leech mid-point and the luff) greater than or equal to 75% of the foot length qualify as spinnakers. The sail is considered a spinnaker instead of a genoa because of its dimensions. It was very successful and since its introduction racers around the world have followed suit. The event winners, Paul Cayard and the crew of ‘EF Language’, used a very small, tight-reaching spinnaker that could be used while the other teams could only use their genoas. ![]() ![]() The code zero was introduced in the 1997/98 Whitbread (now Volvo) Round the World Race. However, the practical applications of the sail apply just as much (if not more) to cruising boats. Racers have discovered that because of its size and applicable wind strength and angle ranges, the sail has benefits for racing performance while avoiding rating penalties. Officially a code zero is a spinnaker for use in tight-reaching in light air – that’s it! The sail tends to be the smallest spinnaker in any sail inventory, whether racing or cruising. In this article we remove some of the mystique around this specialty sail and explain how it can be used to enhance anyone’s sailing experience. Many sailors, especially cruisers, shy away from cruising the code zero, despite the sail’s versatility and ability to add significant increases in boat speed. By Chuck Skewes of Ullman Sails San Diego ![]()
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