So, do you bother with pulling up both the head and main sails, balance it perfectly or just roll out the head sails (or main) only and trim it to be good enough when you cruise?
Normally both sails (headsails are hanked) but a couple of weeks ago my wife and I were going down the river with the wind behind us blowing 15 to 20 knots and with only the main we were doing 5 to 6 knots so I didn't bother with a headsail and it was a relaxing sail
Regards Don
I mostly pull up the main before leaving the anchorage then when on course I'll roll out the headsail and tune them both. Sometimes though I'f i'm only going a few miles downwind I'll just use the headsail alone.
Close haul to broad reach, appropriately trimmed head & main
Very broad reach to run, often just headsail, poled out if required. Sometimes main alone.
Run, sometimes Anna likes to goose wing with preventer on main & pole on headsail ( if required )
Reaching in very light air, main plus assymetric (reacher)
Cheers
Bristol
Select to expand quotetheselkie said..
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I sail with a beer can in hand.......
A motorboat is used to get to the destination.... A yacht is the destination. So whatever seems easiest at the time 
Both sails, and ease off on the haylards/outhaul/cunningham for deep draft shape. The autopilot has feelings too!
both sails, raised once out of the local cut.
Main up and slightly firmed in, handbrake off (aka outboard up), hanked jib up, reweak the main and weee off we go.
GPS goes on and the its take it in turns to see who gets top speed.
Autohelm has been connected for 3 years, apart from the power just needs plugging in.
Still not done because everyone wants to steer, and if it too hot, we just sit in the shade and the boat steer itself anyhow.
Wind ahead of beam, main up first, if behind beam, jib first - the old timers thought. Then balance sails to conditions.
They also said, don't use single sail unless you want to be laugher at at the club!
Always, l mean always use boom preventer if wind behind beam, no matter what.
Downwind, get up second jib goosewinged, scandalize main or drop it, unless using spinnaker. Especially on a boat prone to broach.
Those were the basics years ago.
Right now we're sailing up the Tamar on a big incoming tide. Bit of headsail, 7knts over ground.
The wind is so on the bum, the main would be a gybing nusiance.
But will we get to the Rosevears Hotel in time for a feed?
Cheers
Bristol.
It all depends on the wind strength,direction, who is onboard ,where I am sailing in or off shore.
No hard and fast answer.
main up first motor sail till 5 nots of boat speed then select headie rarely the biggest one when cruising as it is harder to foldaway ,downwind under 20 always a kite (easy to pack comfie to steer ) put auto on find somewhere shadie to sit read book
