Windsurfers refer to their bevy of different size sails as their "quiver." In that mix is usually a half dozen sails with a similar profile and design, each a new size for every five-knot increase in wind speed.

For the offshore cruiser, your quiver is quite a bit more limited. Never mind the fact that there is nowhere to put four or five extra sails. It is also just down-right expensive.

Selecting what sails you bring aboard in addition to the working sails has a little bit to do with the type of boat you have, heavy displacement or lighter performance, and a lot to do with the conditions you expect to see on your voyages. This decision is best thought out with your sail-maker as he can fill any hole in your quiver and leave you with one of the most important things any offshore sailor can have: options. An Asymmetrical Chute, Storm Jib and Trysail should generally help any offshore cruiser improve performance and comfort underway.

ONNE VAN DER WALAn asymmetrical chute is easy to handle and will improve your boat's downwind performance.CHUTE SCOOP

Though most passagemakers have some form of spinnaker, either a symmetrical or asymmetrical cruising spinnaker, a well-designed asymmetrical chute that can be flown from a stem fitting will cut down on your mileage by allowing you to sail lower and with fewer jibes.

Most cruising boats, by design, reach well under working sails, regardless of how heavy the material used in the sails. It is downwind in moderate breezes where the engine is too often needed because speeds under sail are either too slow or too many jibes become cumbersome.

A performance-oriented asymmetrical is easy to handle by one or two people, especially when using a chute scoop, which is a must. Also, asymmetricals designed for sailing deep, or around 160 to 170 degrees off the wind, have a more symmetric profile and are able to rotate to weather nicely as the sheet is eased. In order to sail deeper, the more "traditional" tighter-angled asymmetricals need the tack line eased and often collapse from the leech forward.

Since these sails are always flown with a luff forward and leech aft, weight of the sail can be saved through composite construction. Larger boats, in the 60-foot range for example, can have a 1.5-ounce nylon luff and a lighter, 3/4-ounce leech, allowing the sail to be lighter and smaller when compressed for storage.

Unless you have a double headsail cutter rig with a staysail, genoa furled and yankee furled, your standard workhorses are your main and genoa. Many sailors rely heavily on roller reefing to de-power when the wind gets above 20 knots, but there is an inherent problem with cruising genoas and roller reefing: performance goes through the basement the more you roll up. Also, when the wind pipes to 30 knots, rolling in more sail is nearly impossible with standard furlers.

STORM JIB AND TRYSAIL

Having a storm jib, usually around a 20- to 30-percent headsail, will make the difference between clawing off a lee shore and ending up on top of it. These sails are built understandably heavy, 10-ounce polyester for the average 40-footer and up to 14-ounce cloth for boats above 60 feet. Without an inner forestay, the best solution is to put one of these bulletproof sails on a disc furler.

With a high-modulus luff line, this sail needs a solid attachment point on the foredeck, a beefed-up halyard and sheave, and a check stay to keep the mast in column and provide luff tension.

There are several advantages to having a furled-up storm jib. First, the sail is stored easily by being snaked into a short bag. Next, since it is rolled tightly, raising and lowering the sail in a blow is generally uneventful.

To complement a storm jib, your third "extra" sail should be a storm trysail. This is a more expensive sail than most people think, but, like the storm jib, you want it when you need it. An extra sail track needs to be put on the mast and the sail itself is made out of thick, expensive, colored polyester. Stitching the heavy duty corners is almost half the expense for the sailmaker.

What the trysail and storm jib give you is security – security to make between 40 and 60 degrees off the wind and actually go over the top of waves instead of going through them.

Though these recommendations are at the extreme ends of the sail spectrum, consider that your working sails handily cover everything in between. Taking the most advantage of these sails does require some planning and, yes, practice. But learning how to trim these sails properly will allow you to balance the boat and let you take it easy as the autopilot takes over.