i was thinking of an asymmetric spinnaker, like smyth has popularized on farrier trimarans.
and yes, i totally agree that broad reaching to the true wind, keeping the apparent abeam, is way faster than running. though you'd never know it from my performance. i suck so bad at going down wind :( last weekend i was first to the weather mark in my weta against four hobie 16s. and last to the leeward mark. three races in a row. one of these days...
rick-- what's your take on spinnakers lifting the bow?
all the accounts i've read of harry proas claim to achieve windspeed in the summary, and then later on when they give numbers it's only 3/4 of it or so. a bit of an exaggeration that's always bothered me. the numbers aren't so different though than a weta or a cruising farrier.
by limited range of use of a kite i presume you mean only suitable for running. i would agree with that. however, the windspeed at their deployed height is much greater than at sea level because it's out of the ground shear. and if they lifted the bows so you could just plow into waves with abandon, that seems like a really fast combination.
kiteship sells a 10m^2 trainer. i'd give that a go just for kicks. could girth hitch it to the forward beam. my only concern is how to shunt it around the mast.
ben
--- In harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au, Rick Willoughby <rickwill@...> wrote:
> If you are in a high performance multi-hull it is unlikely you would
> want a spinnaker - it limits you to windspeed. If a boat can get
> boat speed above windspeed it will be better off tacking downwind.
> Even kites have limited range of use on a high performance multi-hull.