Overlapping Jib or Genoa

Before the turn of the century, nearly all cruising boats came standard with genoas that overlapped the mast. These large sails allowed sailors to enjoy sailing without having to raise their mainsails. Just unroll the genoa and enjoy reaching back and forth. The other advantage to an overlapping genoa is that with a furling system it can be an all-purpose sail — in light air it can be used full size and as the breeze comes the size of the sail can be reduced by roller reefing.