I've received this email from Paul Fay, who has kindly agreed that I may publish it here:
Hi David,
I will write up our experience of converting to cambered panel sails as soon as I have time and post it on the website. For now suffice to say that Mo and I have been disappointed with them. They are more powerful but as you alluded too, getting this performance takes a lot more effort than just having a straight forward H & M rig. The loads in a cambered panel sail are TOTALLY different to a standard H & M rig. This has caused us bend the yards and battens, then after increasing the size of the yard and battens we have still bent the battens. Also, we do not believe our windward performance has improved much. Perhaps just a little in light winds. However we do think that if we could haul the sheet to windward this would improve. The Hong Kong parrels are an abomination which bend battens apart from needing setting up to start with.
All in all we regret the complications that have been introduced for little gain in performance, especially on an ocean going yacht.
The cambered panel sail may be good for those who continually want to experiment, but not for those who just want to sail, and after sailing through the Med and twice across the Atlantic I would recommend that Paul Thompson stick to basics.
I do believe that the wing sail will be the way to go in the future but from what you have said it seems that it needs a lot more development.
Ti Gitu is currently back in the UK spending the winter in Emsworth (Chichester Harbour). If you happen to be in the area please call in, you will be most welcome.
All the best,
Paul and Mo.
and later:
Since that, talking to Mo I have remembered another two problems which are:-
1/ That with cambered panel sails the battens will not stack correctly which causes problems when raising the sail.
2/ Also that the boom/ bottom panel needs to be cut short to stop the sheet catching there as well.
Will write more soon,
Paul and Mo
... all of which reinforces my view that there are, and should be, different styles of junk rig for different boats, different users and different types of sailing. Anyone planning for a standard tradewind circumnavigation, with a majority of downwind sailing, might well be happiest staying with a flat sail. Anyone sailing in confined inshore waters should place a premium on windward efficiency, and should go for a well-cambered sail. And there are lots of other scenarios in between, all with their own optimum style of rig. One size doesn't fit all.