In a message dated 12/13/04 4:43:11 PM Eastern Standard Time, dougl20002001@yahoo.com writes:
Now for this year a new Jib! Can I expect similar results?
Gosh, definitely. Sometimes even more than a new mainsail. With plenty of halyard tension and the sheet leads in the right place, a good jib can turbocharge performance. Serious racers go through jibs like racecars go through tires. Cruisers can expect good performance for five to ten years of active sailing.
From my racing days I had a guest room full of barely-used Windmill Class jibs. They were similar so I put one of those on my M-15 and ordered a new mainsail from Ulmer-Kolius (with a full-length top batten and a loose foot). As has been written, I thought my M-15 was pretty fast. I've also been accused, with merit, of being tweaky about my sailboats.
Cheers, John