Downwind Sailing
with a
Round Sail
History
In the year 2000 Petima was the first yacht to cross the Atlantic with a modified parachute. (Article in 'The Yacht' magazine 18th June 2001). After speaking to many sailors about their experiences from downwind sailing particularly the Atlantic and Pacific crossings I started to think there had to be a better solution to sailing downwind. The horror stories from blown out sails, damaged rigging, rounding up into the wind and rolling, rolling, rolling got me thinking about how I could improve the downwind sailing experience.
I started to test parachutes of all shapes and sizes on the beach in Tenerife. After alot of trial and error and modification I arrived at the Round Sail. I discovered that the performance, comfort and safety of the Round Sail in winds between 8 to 40 knots was excellent.
Over the last twenty years I have circumnavigated and flown the Round Sail over many thousand miles and have gained priceless experience. If you are a sailor looking for a Practical, Easy, Stress free and Safe solution to sailing downwind then look no further than 'The Round Sail'.
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Advantages of a Round Sail
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In case of rudder problems/loss the Round Sail will still steer your yacht downwind.
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If your autopilot fails the Round Sail will still steer your yacht downwind.
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Safe. The Round Sail pulls your yacht downwind. Possible to sail over your maximum hull speed. You will never round up into the wind.
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Comfortable. The Round Sail stabilises your yacht and minimises rolling.
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Easy to launch.
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Easy to retrieve.
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Small storage area required. The Round Sail is roughly the size of a backpack. 6kg.
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Low Cost.
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Wind Speed. The Round Sail can be flown anywhere between 10 and 40 knots.
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Perfect for small crew or single handed sailors.
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Can be used as sea anchor.
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Save Energy. No shade on your solar panels.
What we offer
T8 Round Sail
8mtr diameter 6kg
Pack size 40x30x30cm
990.- euro + shipping
includes demo video
T10 Round Sail SOLD OUT
10mtr diameter 6.5kg
Pack size 40x30x30cm
1300.- euro + shipping
includes demo video
New Edition!!!!!!
T11 Round Sail
11mtr diameter 8.5kg
Pack size 40x40x40cm
1600.- euro + shipping
includes demo video
Add a storage sock
100.- euro only
Demo Video
How to Rig, Launch, Adjust, Retrieve and Store your Round Sail
Worldwide Delivery
Video
Testimonials
'We flew the Round Sail Mindelo to Grenada for 14 days (and 13 nights) continously and it only fell in the water once in the calm after a heavy shower. As a trade wind running sail I now can recommend it most highly' . Thank you Peter and Aideen
Sam
SY Ramprasod
Lagoon Cat. UK
Dec 2021
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'If I had known how good the Round Sail was downwind I would have bought one years ago. Calm, quiet & stable onboard'.
Jean-Luc
Vancouver, Canada
Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40
2020
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'Auf dem Trip vom Ecuador zu den Galapagos Inseln haben wir das erste Mal das Rundsegel probiert. Es wurde uns von Peter und Aideen empfohlen. Wir waren sehr skeptisch. Obwohl wir eine gute Einweisung bekommen hatten. Nach dem wir es in gebrauch genommen haben waren wir sehr überrascht wie gut es funktioniert. Es stabilisierte unsere Yacht und brachte uns eine gute Geschwindigkeit'.
Klaus und Ellen
Halberg-Rassy 42
Deutschland
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'Super Segel, kleines Packmaß nur sechs Kilo paßt auf jede Yacht.
Zieht wie hulle! Kein problem bei starkem Wind. Steuert auch ohne Autopilot. Einfach super. Das Bergen ist gewöhnungsbedürftig aber kein problem'.
Hanse 38
Wandervogel
Martin aus Köln
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Hi Aideen & Peter,
'We baptised our Round Sail off the coast of Lanzarote. It was perfect conditions for our first go. Winds at 10knots and we were sailing between 4 and 5 knots. It was so amazing. Before we put it up the boat was rocking and everything was crashing and bashing because there wasn't enough wind for our Genoa and then after the Round Sail was up there was just tranquility'.
Marnie, Dave, Liam & Amelia
SY Chamade
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Beim Einsatz waren es unter 10. Wenn Zuwenig fälltet ein. Wie ein genagger auch. Macht aber Riesen Spaß. Und ist einfacher zu handhaben.
Luther
SV Orion
T10
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More on Downwind Sailing
Somone once said 'Sailing is like standing in a shower while throwing 100 dollar bills over your shoulder'. I think whoever came up with this definition of sailing had just completed a downwind sailing passage.
Wind is directly from the aft and below 10 knots. You have your Main and Headsail up. There is a swell from the side. Your heart just about pops out of your chest every time the boom and all the running gear crash from side to side. The headsail collapses and fills with such force that the whole boat shakes. With
every bang, crash and vibration of your yacht as you sail downwind you can feel ever dollar just floating away.
Okay the rolling effect on a catamaran is not nearly as bad as the rolling experience on a monohull where everything rolls including the lunch you just ate. But lets face it despite the stability of a catamaran there is still an annoying movement of the boat when you have a side on swell and you are sailing downwind.
One downwind sailing option is the spinnaker. Mostly you need two people for this sail. Depending on what type of spinnaker it is you will need a pole. Unless you are constantly watching this sail and monitoring the strength of the wind then this is one sail that can get out of control and end up a tattered mess on your foredeck. If crew can't get it on deck fast enough it can end up in the water whereupon the boat sails over it. Ahh what a mess! No wonder a lot of sailors leave their spinnaker in the forward lazorate just so they can say that they have one but in fact it has not seen the light of day since the boat was purchased.
Next is the wing on wing option. This can drive you crazy. Unless you have perfect sail balance between the main and the headsail the boat can easily round up into the wind. It puts more pressure on your autopilot and in some cases depending on the seas the autopilot just can't handle the situation and you end up handsteering. With this sail combination you need someone monitoring the sails, the autopilot and the seas at all times.
And then there is the two headsail combination. This is not a bad option. Have one headsail on the roller furler and the other headsail free standing. You don't have the banging effect anymore but you will still feel the effect from the swell.
Or like alot of sailors in order to relieve all the stress and tension on the boat and their hearts there is motoring. But in todays world this is not a cheap option and it is certainly not environmentally friendly. Aren't we supposed to be sailors??
Downwind sailing can bring your dreams back to reality with every bang of the boom, to such an extent that you feel like putting your boat up for sale in the next port. Why do you think there are so many boats for sale in the Caribbean? Downwind sailing can be very tricky. The reason been most yachts are just not set up for this type of sailing. Today yachts are so top heavy with all the latest equipment onboard - radar, solar panels, wind generator and in light winds this doesn't help your downwind sailing experience. So what if I told you I had the perfect solution to all your downwind sailing frustrations. A Round Sail!