So, after painting my sail black (well, mostly dyed black since the outdoor fabric paint is really an ink and not a paint) and having taken the i9s out a couple times without it to get used to it, I took it out into the pacific for some sailing.
Setting up was pretty easy. However, I just dont understand why outdoor/camping etc companies like to make bags that _ONLY_ just barely fit a perfectly packed item in them. While the sail bag is super long for people who dont want to undo the mast (which ...really isn't an issue for the inflatables since it doesn't reduce the time to setup) it is super narrow. This makes inserting and removing the sail almost a two person job unless you want to struggle like an idiot trying to wiggle it out. Am I the only one who is super annoyed that everything I buy from camping stuff to kayaks comes with bags that barely fit what they're supposed to hold?
I also need to learn how to tie some various sailing knots since the stabilizing ties for the mast require you to adjust the tension via knot. This is definitely a two person job at least the first time ...assuming it doesn't need future adjusting. The current knot i'm using doesn't allow you to pull the string tight unless you undo the knot fully...which could lead to it becoming too loose by the time you retie it again.
Once you get over that though, it's pretty quick to setup and take down. The instruction booklet is pretty clear on how to read when it's optimal and how to sail upwind. I was able to really get some speed in going out to sea. Not bad for such a small sail. Had a lot of fun. However, I will be making a hand-held cleat of for sure since holding the rope to constantly adjust for the wind (the wind was never steady where i was) was super annoying and I had to keep adjusting the rope in my hand to keep it from cutting off circulation.
Beaching was annoying as I had to release all tension in the guide rope to keep the boat from being blown around and into piers / rocks. This created an extremely annoying and somewhat embarrassingly loud flapping of the sail. I'll need to figure out something to do to just pull the sail to the mast and hold it there. Since I can't spin the sail around the mast on the inflatable, I dont care if it just pulls it in all wrinkly. Maybe I can use the unused white hook on the sail to bungie the sail to a bottom tie-down.
Overall it was fun despite the minor annoyances. Definitely doing it again, especially when I figure out how to really deal with the sun since I can't use my umbrella setup I use when not having the sail. Even overcast when you're out for 4 hours on the water will give you nasty sunburns.
