When it's REALLY windy, sailing can be a scary chore instead of fun. But, I still want to sail. Some sails can be reefed. (Hobie stopped putting in reef points, so it must not have been popular activity.) Monohulls often have "storm tri sails".

But how about this idea? What would a sail with an open-weave act like in high winds. The open-weave would let some air blow through the sail, making it less efficient and slower. But, then the penetrating air would also destroy the laminar flow over the sail surface.-Would that completely mess-up upwind sailing? Or would it just be less efficient, which is what is wanted?