Sail Crossover Notes — Lupo Di Mare (Italia 12.98 Fuoriserie)
Rev: v2.0 · Updated: 2026-05-29 · Change: Rebuilt on the official North Sails Italia V3 EXP crossover grid (estimates retired) + 2026 ORR cert measured areas
PRE-RACE RESEARCH — not race-period routing advice. Updated 2026-05-29.
Wind ranges below are read directly from the North Sails Italia V3 EXP Simple Sail Crossover Chart (authoritative grid: rows = TWS 4–35 kt, columns = TWA 35–170°, cell = recommended sail). The previous "estimate" caveat is gone — these are the sailmaker's published crossovers. Cross-links: onboard sail-selection guidance in ../10_onboard_cards/card_10_tactical_scenarios.md; boat polar in ../02_polars/lupo_polar_analysis.md; operational inventory + cert areas in ../01_boat_data/sail_inventory.md.
Wardrobe (codes as they appear in the North Sails grid)
| Grid code | Sail | Inventory equivalent | Use band |
|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | Full genoa — light/medium upwind | J1 |
Close-hauled & reaching, low TWS |
| J2 | Intermediate jib | J2 (racing TBD) |
Mid-TWS upwind/reaching |
| J3 | Heavy jib / #3 | J3 |
Upwind, building breeze |
| HvyW | Heavy-weather jib | J4 (furling HW jib) |
High-TWS upwind across all angles |
| Code 67 | Reaching code zero (furling) | Code 67 |
Mid reaching (80–120° TWA), light/medium air |
| A1 | Light asymmetric | A1-1 |
Light reaching/running |
A1.5 (grid label A15) |
Medium-light asymmetric | A1.5-1 |
Medium reaching/running |
| A2 | Medium asymmetric | A2-1 |
Reaching/running, fresh breeze |
| A3 | Heavy asymmetric | A3 |
Deep & windy |
| A4 | Heavy running asymmetric | A4 |
Deepest, heaviest |
| GS | Genoa staysail (in the grid) | see note ⚠️ | Tight-reaching gap-filler, ~95–125°, ~14–24 kt |
⚠️ Label reconciliation — do not assume the grid code matches the locker label:
- HvyW = J4. The North Sails grid calls the heavy-weather jib HvyW; the owner inventory stows it as J4 (furling). Same sail — the grid uses the generic class name.
- GS: the grid lists GS as a genoa staysail filling the tight-reaching gap (~95–125° TWA, ~14–24 kt). The owner inventory's GS is a gennaker (orange, mid-deck padeye). These may be different sails under the same two letters — confirm with the sailmaker which physical sail the grid's GS cell intends before relying on it operationally. See sail_inventory.md.
- SS = spinnaker staysail (NOT a symmetric spinnaker — the boat carries asyms only, per the ORR cert). The simplified .txt grid dropped it, but the full North Sails chart does show an SS region (~140–165° TWA, ~14–24 kt). It is an inner staysail (mid-deck padeye, Sec J1 halyard) flown low beneath the running asym to fill the slot, and the heavy-air deep-running sail in its own right when the big kites get unmanageable; its chart zone overlaps A2/A4.
Per-sail envelope (condensed from the grid)
Approximate TWS × TWA window each sail owns in the North Sails grid.
| Sail | TWS band (kt) | TWA band (°) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | 4–18 | 38–110 | Upwind + the tight-reaching sail (40–80°) in light air |
| J2 | 10–20 | 38–100 | Workhorse jib, close-hauled to broad-reach jib-top |
| J3 | 18–30 | 38–110 | Upwind in fresh breeze |
| HvyW (J4) | 20–39 | 30–150 | Heavy-weather jib, all angles up to broad reach |
| Code 67 | 4–14 | 80–120 | Mid reaching, light/medium air (deep reacher — not 60–80°) |
| A1 | 4–12 | 105–150 | Light reaching/running |
A1.5 (A15) |
4–16 | 110–160 | Medium-light reaching/running |
| A2 | 12–22 | 140–170 | Medium deep-running (not a reaching kite) |
| A3 | 12–30 | 100–150 | The pressure/broad-reaching kite |
| A4 | 22–39 | 140–165 | Deep heavy running |
| GS | 14–24 | 95–125 | Tight-reaching gap-filler (see label ⚠️) |
Condensed crossover grid (North Sails Italia V3 EXP)
Close-hauled, reaching, and running are kept separate — at the same TWS the recommended sail differs by angle (e.g. at 18 kt it is J3 close-hauled but a kite by ~120°). Cells are the grid's recommended sail; a slash = transition zone between the named TWS rows.
| TWS (kt) | Close-hauled 40–60° | Reaching 70–100° | Broad reach 110–130° | Running 140–170° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–6 | J1 | J1 / Code 67 | Code 67 / A1 | A1 |
| 8 | J1 | J1 / Code 67 | Code 67 / A1 | A1.5 |
| 10 | J2 | J1→J2 / Code 67 | Code 67 / A1.5 | A1.5 |
| 12 | J2 | J2 / Code 67 | GS / A3 | A1.5 / A2 |
| 14 | J2 | J2 | A3 | A1.5 / A2 |
| 16 | J2 | J2 | A3 | A2 |
| 18 | J3 | J2 / J3 | A3 | A2 |
| 20 | HvyW | J3 | A3 | A2 / A3 |
| 23 | HvyW | J3 / GS | A3 | A3 / A4 |
| 26 | HvyW | HvyW | A3 | A4 |
| 30 | HvyW | HvyW | HvyW | A4 |
Reading note: the grid's leftmost column (35°) is essentially blank — Lupo does not sail that high; close-hauled crossovers live at 40° and below the polar's beat angle. The 170° column thins out at the extremes (very light and very heavy), where the boat is soaking rather than carrying a dedicated sail.
Heavy-air upwind transition (close-hauled)
The headsail ladder going up in breeze, read straight off the grid:
J1 (4–8 kt) → J2 (10–18 kt) → J3 (18–23 kt) → HvyW/J4 (20–30+ kt)
- Reaching, the same ladder shifts roughly 2–4 kt higher — J2 carries to ~18 kt reaching where J3 has already taken over close-hauled.
- If J2 does not race (racing TBD — see inventory), the J1→J3 gap is large: go to J3 earlier than the grid shows for 16–18 kt close-hauled, and accept J1 a touch higher on the light side.
HvyWin the grid is the inventoryJ4— when the chart calls for HvyW, that is the furling heavy-weather jib on its dedicated halyard.
Reaching / running sail bands (off the wind)
- Code 67 owns mid reaching in light/medium air — roughly TWA 80–120° at 4–14 kt (a deep reacher for this boat; ORC's "Code 65" corroborates). (The previous estimate file claimed "TWA 60–80°" — that was wrong; the chart places Code 67 deeper and is authoritative. Do not carry the 60–80° figure forward.)
- Reaching (~90–130°) is Code 67 (light/med) → A3 (pressure/broad). Running (~140–170°) is A1 → A1.5 → A2 → A4 as breeze builds. A2 and A3 are NOT interchangeable: A3 is the reaching kite, A2 the deep runner (ORC optimal run angle ~142–158° confirms A2's depth).
- GS (genoa staysail in the grid) fills the tight-reaching gap (~95–125°) that sits between the jib-top and the Code 67 / kite — but see the GS label caution above before deploying.
Wave State Adjustments
Upwind in short steep chop (Gulf Stream against wind)
- Add 1 conservatism step: if the grid says J2, consider J3.
- SW 18–22 kt against northerly Stream creates 2–4 m steep seas; add −5 to −8% degradation beyond S3 (see
../02_polars/lupo_polar_analysis.md).
Running in building sea state
- A3 preferred over A2 much sooner than in flat water.
- A2 in 20+ kt and following seas: broach risk increases significantly.
- After sunset, drop one conservatism tier unless crew is fresh and confident.
Code 67 in open ocean swell
- Confirmed FURLING — can deploy and recover without a full foredeck peel.
- In 2 m+ confused seas at tight angles, can be difficult to furl cleanly — watch post-Stream.
- If forecast shows disorganized wave pattern post-Stream, consider a jib rather than Code 67.
- Pre-Stream "choose before entry, hold through" protocol still applies for squall preparedness.
Gulf Stream Specific Notes
Stream Entry (approaching north wall)
- Wind often backs or freshens near SST gradient; chop builds quickly in opposing current.
- Have headsail change ready before entering if wind is near a crossover point.
- Do not enter the Stream mid-peel.
Inside the Stream
- Current 2.5–4.5 kt (sometimes 5+ in a tight meander).
- Squall risk: convection from warm SST; can spike 25–40+ kt for 15–30 min.
- Reef #1 in mast, crew ready, spinnaker doused before any suspect radar return.
Stream Exit (south wall)
- Wind often lighter, may back to E or SE.
- Typically transition from spinnaker reaching to light reaching or upwind fetch to Bermuda.
Newport-Bermuda Dominant Sail Scenario History
| Analog Type | Start | Offshore | Stream entry | Post-Stream | Bermuda Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W-BH (reaching race) | J1 / Code 67 | Code 67 / A1.5 | A2 (pre-set before entry) | A1.5 / A2 | J1 / Code 67 |
| W-PF (frontal transition) | J3 | J3 / A3 | Beat: J3; reaching: A2 | A2 | Variable |
| W-LA (light air) | J1 | Code 67 / A1 | A1 / A1.5 | A1.5 | Code 67 |
| W-CF (strong cold front) | J3 | J3 / A3 | J3 or A3 | A2 | Variable |
| W-BH + W-BS (Bermuda shutdown) | J1 / Code 67 | A2 | A2 | A2 | Light: J1 or Code 67 |
Crossover Decision Triggers — Onboard
- Darkness rule: Dark and unsure → take the safer option. Minutes lost on a conservative sail < blown spinnaker or broach at 0300.
- The 15-minute rule: >0.15 kt average VMG gain for >15 min → worth the change. Less → hold.
- Gulf Stream squall rule: Radar echo within 30 nm SW–NW in the Stream → kite down, reef ready. Every minute of hesitation counts.
- Fatigue rule: After 48 hours, add one conservatism tier to all sail selections.
- Watch handoff rule: Never leave a complex sail situation for the incoming watch without briefing it. If a peel is needed in the next 2 hours, do it on the current watch.
See ../10_onboard_cards/card_10_tactical_scenarios.md for the light-air, heavy-air, and adverse-current sail-selection cards keyed to these crossovers.
Sources
- North Sails — Italia V3 EXP Simple Sail Crossover Chart (
Italia V3 EXP Simple Sail Crossover Chart.txt) — authoritative TWS × TWA → sail grid; all crossover bands above are condensed from it. - 2026 ORR certificate, USA 12985 (Querencia / Lupo Di Mare) — measured sail areas (Main 659.2 / Genoa-Jib 564.6 / Asym 2113.2 ft²); see
../01_boat_data/sail_inventory.md. - Expedition master sailchart (
LupoDiMare Sailchart MASTER FOR EXPEDITION.xml) — per-sail polygons + sail weights for Expedition visualization. Its per-sailsailareavalues conflict with the cert and are not used here.
PRE-RACE RESEARCH — not race-period routing advice. Updated 2026-05-29.