Boats, rigging and sails have continually evolved, and the maneuvering concept also allows us to enjoy sailing much more.
We require sails to perform well in a wider wind range, without wearing out or going out of shape. New, stronger and lighter materials have made it possible to achieve these more versatile sails and, on the other hand, to reduce the sail inventory, leaving us more free space for storage.
Sail handling systems also have developed lots, and are becoming more and more reliable and safe. Mainsails are lowered by folding into your lazy bag or V-boom, or even rolled up on the mast or boom, the non-overlapping and furling jibs are practically controlled from the cockpit and now even Gennakers and Codes furl, facilitating the maneuver and providing a safety that encourages us to use them often.
Therefore, when we recommend high-end sails, sometimes it makes a lot of sense, because we are demanding that they perform, in a range of conditions that previously required several sails, and that when these sail changes were not made, they caused large heeling, loss of control and breakdowns.
A well-designed sail that holds shape and that we can adjust properly will give us better performance in a wider range of conditions.