Sail Area Guidelines for the North Atlantic Dinghy Crossing 2026
Discover sail area guidelines for the Wayfarer dinghy, tailored for safety and control during the North Atlantic Crossing.
Wayfarer Dinghy Sail Area Guidelines
Optimise your Wayfarer dinghy's performance across various wind conditions with these sail area guidelines, tailored for safety and control during the North Atlantic Crossing. The Wayfarer uses a mainsail (8.83 m²), jib/genoa (2.78 m²), spinnaker (13.5 m²), or trysail for storm conditions.
| Wind Speed (knots) | Recommended Sail Configuration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 12 | Full sail (mainsail + jib) | Optimal for performance in light winds. |
| 12 to 25 | Full sail for upwind/reaching; jib alone for downwind above 15 knots | Reduces risk of "death roll" downwind. |
| 20 and above | Trysail on all points of sail | Smaller sail area for better control. |
| 30 and above | W-trysail with no foresail | Storm sail for extreme conditions. |
Note: Many Wayfarer cruising models offer slab reefing (reducing mainsail area by ~20% per reef) and a reefable genoa for quick adjustments. Always consider crew experience, sea state, and gusts when choosing sail configurations.
Beaufort Wind Force Scale
The Beaufort Scale measures wind speed and its effects on sea and land, helping sailors plan and navigate safely by correlating wind conditions with the sail configurations above.
| Force | Wind Speed (mph) | Wind Speed (km/h) | Wind Speed (knots) | Description | Sea | Land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <1 | <1 | <1 | Calm | Lake mirror | Smoke rises vertically |
| 1 | 1-3 | 1-5 | 1-3 | Light air | Ripples | Wind motion visible in smoke |
| 2 | 4-7 | 6-11 | 4-6 | Light breeze | Small wavelets | Wind felt on exposed skin |
| 3 | 8-12 | 12-19 | 7-10 | Gentle breeze | Large wavelets | Leaves in constant motion |
| 4 | 13-18 | 20-28 | 11-16 | Moderate breeze | Small waves | Small branches begin to move |
| 5 | 19-24 | 29-38 | 17-21 | Fresh breeze | Moderate waves | Small trees begin to sway |
| 6 | 25-31 | 39-49 | 22-27 | Strong breeze | Large waves | Large branches in motion |
| 7 | 32-38 | 50-61 | 28-33 | Moderate gale | Sea heaps up | Whole trees in motion |
| 8 | 39-46 | 62-74 | 34-40 | Fresh gale | Moderately high waves | Small branches break |
| 9 | 47-54 | 75-88 | 41-47 | Strong gale | High waves | Larger branches break |
| 10 | 55-63 | 89-102 | 48-55 | Whole gale | Very high waves | Trees broken or uprooted |
| 11 | 64-72 | 103-117 | 56-63 | Storm | Exceptionally high waves | Widespread damage |
| 12 | >73 | >118 | >64 | Hurricane | Sea completely white | S.H.T.F. |
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