The holy trinity of sail material qualities has always been light, durable and resistant to stretch. Inevitably, as with many engineering problems, there are conflicts between these demands that require compromise. For example, a massively strong, overbuilt sail won’t stretch, and while it will be durable, it will definitely not be light.
While two out of three ain’t bad, where the compromises are made will depend entirely on the sailor. And for cruising sailors, the priority is almost always durability. It’s important to understand then, that advances in sail material technology are context dependent. And not everyone will be willing, nor will they need, to pay for the very latest that technology has to offer.
Since the 1950s and the advent of the polyester material known as Dacron, sails have…