Thom Stewart wrote:

Pete;

There was a guy named; "Blondie Hassler" who put a Junk Sail on a deep
keel cut away hull. 26 feet long. He designed a wind powered self
steering system and sailed her around and around the world by himself.
The boat was named "Jester"

To this day, one of the toughest upwind, single handed races across the
Atlantic Ocean still carries a Class for small craft vessels named the
"JESTER CLASS" So much for Junk Sails not being able to go up wind. A
Folk Boat with a Single Junk Sail was the first winner and the class
carries the name.

Actually Thom, Jester never won the race.

And while the owner after Hassler sailed that boat a heck of a lot, a
dozen or more Trans-Atlantics IIRC, he also gave up a number of voyages
because they turned into protracted sessions trying to beat to weather.


Thought you might want to remind Doug that a Junk sail on a upwind
designed hull will go very well upwind and do it easily on the skipper.


I think you should take a closer look at your own evidence, there Thom.
Is a Folkboat an especially efficient upwind hull? Was Jester reckoned a
fast boat or weatherly by any objective standard?

DSK