"Capt. JG" wrote

There is a simple answer for this boat actually. We have lots of
experience with the 16.5s. If the wind pipes up, you need the jib.
Your mileage will certainly vary on other boats, however.

I'm not sure which boat you are referring to here but you certainly do
need the jib in the E 32 if you want to get anywhere before you grow
old. Being able to just roll up the jib and have the boat keep
jogging along slowly while you duck below for something is a great
feature however when you are single handed. It really helps to know
though that you mustn't let the speed fall off too much while you roll
the jib or the boat isn't going to maintain a course.

This is a perfect example of the common situation where a boat has two
potential speeds in the same wind velocity, one that it can speed up
to and a slightly faster one that it will slow down to.

--

Roger Long