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Home. Association Forum Ships Store Cruising Racing Technical Tips Photo Gallery - New Boat Search - Updated Manuals & Brochures Swap Meet Links Officer Flag Line & Staff Bylaws & Constitution   Members Area Join the Association   Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.	R&R - Drifter - Reacher This tip submitted by Aryln Stewart Inspired by Bill Holcomb's comments relating how often he uses his drifter compared to spinnaker and that it would coexist well with roller furling, I decided to get a drifter for light air work. When its warm in Texas, downwind is hot, so I wanted a light air sail with windward ability. A drifter is very similar to a genoa, flies free on the luff, is made of light weight materiel and is fairly manageable for a solo sailor. I had noticed Ullman Sails of Ventura, Ca. advertised in The Mainsheet and made a call and talked with owner Gary Swenson. He seemed knowledgeable about the C250 and outlined the need to cut the clew slightly high so the sheets could turn at the stern pulpit base. This would save adding tracks and fairleads. He also offered to supply the mounts and blocks. I chose the colors and layout from a option sheet he provided, with an additional star to honor the fine Lone Star State of Texas. The sail is 155% made from 1 1/2 oz spinnaker cloth with both leach and foot tensioning. During my second use I noticed a slight leach flutter requiring about 1/4 inch of snubbing. Luff length is good, allowing for the halyard shackle and bowline knot and turning block at the stem. The sail looks, shapes and pulls well. The turning blocks and stanchion mounts are Harken and work very well. The drifter requires a downhaul led to cockpit, and light sheets. I started out with 5/16 and think I will change to 1/4 Sheet length needs to be about 90 ft total if using the cabin top winches. The downhaul needs to allow relaxing the luff, and letting it fly a bit. The CD! furler leaves the jib halyard free which allows the sail to sheet across aft of the forestay. Bill says these sails are good to about 7 mph. I have noted that with enough wind to shape the sail, it is good to pull the c250 to 2.5 mph. In wind something less than 5 mph, I recorded a 4.5 mph reach. The sail is easily managed single-handed. I found that off wind, I could release the tack, gather and roll it vertically back to clew, release the sheets, and with the sail bag hung at the mast stuff with one foot on the halyard, all the while staying in lee of the main. A good upgrade.