Sleddog, thanks! but you got me thinking, how effective do you think a #3 on the pole with a #2 to leeward using an out-grabber would be?
My belief is a #3 on a pole with a #2 to leeward would be dogmeat slow. Any wung-out sails, to be efficient, need to be 1.5 oz nylon or equivalent. Heavier sails, like a #2 or #3, will collapse backward in lulls due to the aft slant of the headstay. That negates any forward pull.
The best sail to wing out for FUGU is a 125%, high clew, jib top of 1.5 oz rip stop nylon 1' short on the hoist to help the tack patch not chafe on the bow pulpit. This single downwind sail, with the main, will get you downwind, and reaching to AWA 130 the fastest short of a spinnaker. The 125 JT should be flown on a 17' pole (1.1x J), preferably carbon fiber. The pole should be held in place with a toplift, foreguy, and dedicated afterguy, running the sheet through the pole end.
If the AWA is forward of 130, but aft of 90, I would suggest poling it (the nylon 125%) to leeward using the spinnaker pole, or dedicated shorter pole 12' long. This opens the slot between the main and foresail, acting like an outgrabber.
The fastest way to get downwind to Hanalei, 6-12 hours faster than the poled jib, is to use the GREEN BUFFALO trick of flying a spinnaker with a snuffer, and reefing the spinnaker by partially downhauling the snuffer from the cockpit according to windspeed, steering control, and sleep need. IOW, the first reef would be 10' of snuffer pulled down, the second reef would be 15 feet of snuffer pulled down, and third reef would be 20 feet of snuffer pulled down. It all depends on the boat and autopilot steering capabilities.
If you are sailing for any length of time with a deep reefed spinnaker, would suggest a single reef in the main to balance sail area on opposite sides of the boat. This will cause the helm to go neutral, which is desirable.
