Light Air Sail Addition Help

[cortezsailor]

I am looking to round out my sail options, I have a Corbin39 aft cockpit. Currently I run with a full batten main sail a staysail on a removable inner stay and a headsail of about 110% not quite a yankee but with a high cut clew.
I have always shied away from Spinnaker and Gennekers simply because I want the boat to be able to be sailed single handily with ease. With the available furlers now a days I may obtain a Genneker for offshore . I also have a light air Drifter , with a wire luff , 1.5 oz, that I hoist on a halyard and is good up to about 8 knots of apparent . I am looking for a sail with a bit more versatility in lighter winds up to say 15 knots apparent.
I have researched quite a bit and in some sailmaker write ups claim a Cruising Code Zero ( CCZ ) is good from about 70 degrees to 170 degrees while others will tell you its a much smaller range . A true Code 0 will have a smaller range of use but a CCZ can be played with since we re not worried about racing it will be solely for cruising . It all hurts my brain after awhile to attempt to sift through all the propaganda so I thought I would simply ask for some advice on what others are using. Any input is always appreciated .

[over40pirate]

One of the best sails I had on my Bristol 35, was a 4 oz Dacron huge Genny.
It must have been a 200%.
I had it cut down from a larger sail. It had a hank on wire luff. I could point fairly high with it.

[psk125]

The sailmaker writeups that give various angles of attack for different sails are not trying to make you crazy. They are each right. The right angle of attack (and right sail) differs from boat to boat. A light-displacement speedster might be able to point higher to benefit from a light air sail than a heavy-displacement boat. Pointing up so high in the heavy boat could just increase leeway and not improve VMG. The sails for the two boats would be cut differently and the boats would perform differently. You have to work with what you have and find out what will serve you best.

[Stumble]

As you have discovered true C0's are terrible sails for cruisers, the sacrifices to make them measure in as a spinnakers force poor design. On the other hand a tight luff CC0 can be a pretty decent sail. If you think of it as a massive jib instead of as a spinnaker it will help a lot.

Like jibs they are really designed as upwind sails but just like with jibs you can trim them for a reach or run you just accept a decrease in optimal performance compared to the 'ideal' sail.

So what should you buy? Depends on what you want to do, but a CC0 is a very good option. It won't run as well as an A1.5, or reach as well as an A1, but it will be ok and the size alone will outperform a genoa. Upwind of course the size will hurt pointing ability some, but not a huge amount. The bigger issue is the extra speed in light air will pull the aparent wind forward so you will tack thru large angles true.

But the following chart will give you the options.