Hi Barry,

Last year I sailed a lot with a Nitro 1 9.8. Regardless of tuning, the sail gave loads of lift/power on port tack – a nice thing in marginal and middle winds – but rather challenging in heavy winds (even though the harness lines were placed quite a few cm further back compared to the other side of the boom).

Discussing it with a few other Nitro riders on the local (Danish) surf spot they agreed in the peculiarity – the Nitro 2 riders to a much lesser degree. After long investigations (rather embarrassing – it was pretty obvious) it was concluded that the sail was asymmetric. On port tack the leech was “hooking” and created an extra little draft back in the sail (perhaps because of a combination of soft plastics and “big angle anchors” in the batten tension system and the batten pockets lying on one side of the sail?).

Anyway, the positive and interesting thing was that on starboard tack the sail felt very smooth, fast (according to my ad hoc tuning partner) and almost impossible to overpower – and that for the same reason. Now the leech just swung (or was forced) leeward and created what for an old, week and not gifted sailor was a comfortable (and consequently fast) ride.

Would a sail with such a feature/quality on both tacks be preferable?

I think I remember something about an old Art race sail (from Robert Stroj?) – but if it was the boom or the battens that stopped before the leech I do not recall; and if this rather passive system was an attempt to create a more stable sail I do not know either – apparently it did not work.

Regards

/Peter