There is a common misconception that the downwind legs of a race are for a bit of a break. This is not the case and if you treat it right. You can make more positions up on a downwind leg of a racecourse than anywhere else.
This has led to people thinking that their spinnaker doesn't matter as much in the sail inventory. Luckily for the people who replace there spinnaker every few years, they get to sail around a lot of people who think that the spinnaker is just there to get in the way of the wind.
Shape holding and cloth integrity have a lot to do with getting downwind fast. Spinnaker nylon is a woven cloth that has a "finish" on it that keeps the yarns in place and therefor stronger and less porous. If you hold your spinnaker up to the sun and can see areas of sunlight through very small fractures or if you can hold a section up to your mouth and breath through it or your spit can go from the front side of it to the backside, you are definitely in serious need of a new sail.
Getting back to my original point, if you have the best equipment and your competition doesn't, you have just multiplied the factor of being further ahead of them on the racecourse without even then adding in the tactical side of things. Boatspeed is KING! Don't nap on it
