Lessons Learned on Reaching Sail Design

In Episode 27 of UK Sailmakers' Lessons Learned podcast, host Buttons Padin talks with Andrew Weiss, owner of Christopher Dragon XII, and UK Sailmakers' Chief Designer Pat Considine about a major shift in offshore sail inventory: replacing the Code Zero with a smaller, flatter A3. For boats racing under ORC, particularly those that won't get up on a plane, the rating penalty paid to carry a Code Zero may not be worth it anymore. Andrew has taken his Code Zeros off the boat entirely, and instead sails with a new generation A3 spinnaker. He's getting comparable performance in typical Code Zero conditions while avoiding the rating hit, a decision that's paid off in every distance race he's entered this season heading into the Bermuda Race. Andrew and Pat trace this evolution from his early IRC experimentation with masthead Code Zeros, through the rating tradeoffs and complexity of carrying too many sails under ORC, to a "back to basics" approach for his Italia 11.98. The new A3, about 83–84% mid-girth, is designed to cover key reaching angles while simplifying onboard sail-handling decisions. Pat walks through how UK Sailmakers is designing this new generation of A3s using their ISL (Integrated Structural Luff) technology. The episode closes with a look at Christopher Dragon's full inventory for the upcoming 2026 Newport to Bermuda Race: A3, A1, two A2s, J1–J4, storm sails, and two staysails. For sailors evaluating their own offshore inventory, this episode offers a clear case study in rethinking sail selection for rating efficiency without sacrificing performance. 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Why Code Zeros Changed 02:50 ORC Rating Tradeoffs 04:10 Italia 11.98 Reset 06:59 Back to Basics A3 07:55 Designing the New A3 11:13 Code Zero Wind Range 13:33 Cloth Choices and Colors 14:37 Race Results with A3 18:08 Who Should Skip Code Zeros 20:27 Bermuda Race Inventory 21:31 Staysails and Packing Tips 22:47 Conclusion Like and subscribe to the UK Sailmakers YouTube channel to be notified when new content is uploaded. The Lessons Learned Podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.