How many sails can one person handle?

Question

is there a difference if there are two or three smaller sails on one mast compared with one big sail?

Answer 1

Main and jib is good for control. You can reef the main. Get a roller furling jib. A cutter would not be too much more. A spinnaker can be handled by 1, but it is better with 2.

Answer 2

More sails = more halyards, more sheets, more cleats, more winches... More work to trim when making course changes or raising or lowering sails .. You might be able to sail a cutter with one self-tacking jib a reduce your work .... but more is seldom less ...