SAIL LOCO wrote:

.... My problem with a loose
footed main is your in a bind when the one and only slug at the clew breaks.

And with a shelf foot, do you honestly expect the foot bolt rope to hold the sail
if the clew slug breaks?? Sorry, but it ain't gonna!



I
just bought a new main this past spring and I was given the loose foot pitch
but I opted for a shelf foot. And I race.

The only reason to have a shelf foot is if it's mandated by one-design rules OR you
get a rating hit for a loose foot. The shelf adds nothing to the sail except a
place to catch rain water. But a lot of people like them better, just like a lot of
people liked gaff rigs better (and swore they were faster, stronger, etc etc) back
in the days when Marconi rigs were newfangled.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King