Terry Spragg wrote:
Sails should be cared for, as expensive fuel costs.
Decent sails, used decently can go ten years. Used by a fool, the best
can be ruined in one race, one gust.

I'm quite happy to see how well my good old boat performs against some
of the larger, newer boats using mylar etc. A previous owner bagged out
the original Charlie Smith mainsail but I still use the original fairly
heavy weight 1966 Charlie Smith dacron working jib and along with a
repro dacron main, my little 28 footer will do over 8kts in 15-20kts of
breeze. Put a reef in at 25kts and she'll flirt with 10 kts.

Of course, I've never flown a new, super tech material sail.

I have been toying with the idea of a fully-battened main but dacron
still, but I'm not quite sure what more I'd get out of it but I am sure
I don't need mylar.