Jack,
Perhaps... and since you asked, I do have some questions about your beautiful sail
1. What material is it made of and how large is it?
3/4 oz spinnaker cloth
Made by Joe Waters at Waters Sails, Columbia, SC. Joe will make it any way you want it and it is scaleable. My pole is 10' which is a little radical. 7.5' seems to be what others are using. I am working with Joe on a semi-standard design for that pole length.
You might want to call him at (803) 957-5638 if you have any questions about the sail itself.
2. Since it does not overlap the mast, can you easily sail solo from the stern (e.g., like with a large jib you don't have to roll up to tack)?
We designed it to sheet to a rachet block on the shroud chainplate. That way you do not need to cut a hole in the boat. Everything controls from your normal position. It does not need to be furled to gybe. Since I don't use it upwind, I haven't tried tacking. I'm going out today and will try that.
3. Does it need to be all out or all rolled up, or does a partially rolled Hooter act like a smaller jib?
I have not experimented with it partly rolled up. That is a possibility. See above. I'll try that and report.
4. Under what conditions do you find you need to roll it up?
It was not designed as an upwind sail, but surprisingly, it can sail pretty close to the wind. I suspect that it would not be faster upwind that a well sailed conventional Wave.
I have only used this rig on a 38 mile distance race (Mug Race, Jacksonville Florida) and it was all down wind in light air. It was very fast...faster when there was more wind.
I will be doing more testing this week.
