So how many people have installed reefing points on the mainsail to depower the rig and give you speed rather than abundant heeling force. Most monos can do it quickly and easily on and off the wind, why are reefing points not standard on cat main sails?
To depower a sail you can make it smaller (reef), or flatten it. Modern high performance beachcats focus on flattening it
Flattening certainly extends the usable range of a sail plan, but there always exists a wind speed where reefing becomes the only solution to keep sailing. Boats capsize with their crews in the wire, sails feathered and flattened.
I like the self-standing telescoping mast that Rob Denney devised. The mast top lowers with the sail, leaving no draggy mast tip up. The retracted mast also becomes stiffer, though, like in any telescope.
