Symmetrical Spinnakers

Originally posted by CT249 Assys are definitely faster square running in boats that are fast enough to get the apparent forward, in part because you avoid the problem of the excess leach curve in a symmetrical kite on a reach. The handling benefits are obvious to anyone who used a conventional pole on an old-style 18.

I think CT249's statement sums up what I was going to say, it all depends on the speed of the 2 boats including the Laser 2 and 3000. In situations where it pays to run deep, the 2 will simply walk away from the 3000 but when the 3000 has enough speed to sail angles, theoretically, it should be slightly quicker than the 2 but 5 points on PY isn't too much quicker. I had a Laser 2 when I was a young teenager and my little brother then had a 3000 when he reached his mid teens. The 2 takes more effort and skill on kite hoists and gybes and drops, has barberhaulers for the jib and the rig is tweakier by having diamond shrouds to apply bend in the mast, aswell as regular sheouds. Having sailed both the boats, the 3000 is pretty simplistic compared to the 2 hence easier to get round the cans, which also may be the reason for the 5 point PY difference. We didn't sail the 2 against 3000s but regularly raced against RS400s and when they were trying to go low angles, we'd finish ahead of them across the water.