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Maui Postcard No 4
For so long Gaastra Sails have been referred to as "Ghastly'" - as it turns out, they are all but. Yes, we were the biggest knockers of the brand. Formerly we have sailed Naish and love these sails for their various design attributes, i.e. short boom length, light handling, super stability, ease of rigging, overall good construction, and look. But since the last update I have switched to working full time for Gaastra and we have been lucky enough to do some on the water testing for the 2005 Gaastra range. It has been a great learning opportunity and we thought it would be worth letting you know what these sails are all about. The key to testing a sail is using the correct mast. This is something that is more important than ever before. Mast construction varies a lot, which affects the mast bend, which affects the sail shape, which affects the loading on the mast, which affects the mast bend etc, etc. The luff curve on the sail is designed to match a specific mast bend. If you use the wrong mast it is like changing the rocker on your board.... sure the board still works, but it feels like garbage! Carmen also has been roped into testing, giving feedback from a 'girls point of view'. Initially, Carmen very begrudgingly put her adored Naish sails aside, and it was made very clear that she was not happy about sailing a 'Ghastly'. However, Carmen loved the 4.5 m Manic so much, that everytime we went sailing, it was the first sail out of the Jeep and to be rigged. In short, we found the Gaastra's crank up wind almost by themselves; they say 'you want to heli-tack, monkey gybe, carve gybe, Vulcan, push tack - lets go'; they transition in and out of freestyle moves effortlessly with super smooth rotation; the low clew is exceedingly comfortable and you will say good-bye to being thrown around the front; they are fast; they have a hollow foot for all those clew-first moves and duck-tacks; the plastic logo above the boom cut-out keeps the luff open while inserting the mast; the large pulley makes down hauling a breeze; there is an elastic strap to keep your sail rolled up - this is just too cool; a wee pocket to stuff the excess down-haul rope; a wee opening in mast pocket to thread your up-haul rope, so it is not lose around the bottom of the mast-track - right on; and it has Kevlar reinforcement to boot. Since arriving on Maui we have tried most sail brands and each one has a unique and different feel. So remember folks there is a sail brand out there that best suits your build, sailing style, sailing inadequacies and purpose. Get out there and try them - even the Gaastra's. Right on.
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