No experience with the jacket but in terms of downwind sails - I looked at these but at $250 I couldn't justify it for the amount of true downwind sailing I'd get. I end up using (as I've seen others do) a 60 to 72" golf umbrella with the 'blow-out prevention' top. A 60" umbrella = ~ 19 sq ft of sail, a 72" umbrella = ~ 28 sq ft of sail...enough to get you moving along. The central part is vented so in case of a gust of wind the umbrella doesn't fold back. The umbrella is easy to 'deploy' and stows easily on the rear deck with your spare paddle. On one occasion I had a GPS along and was running 5-6 mph downwind. No mounts required. Easy to get rid of if you capsize (just let go). The umbrella comes in handy around cap too. You can buy this type of umbrella with a couple of clear panels - so you could see through the canopy. BTW, a small float attached would be useful - umbrellas sink! Probably not as sexy as the Spirit Sails but pretty versatile and only $30. Also, if you ever needed a signaling device - a 72" umbrella being opened and closed with alternating orange and white panels would be pretty noticeable! K *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 25 2004 - 11:19:08 PDT
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