advice on running with a cruising chute

[Burnham_Bob]

The boat i have just bought has a spinnaker and a cruising chute, both of which are virtually brand new and have snuffers.

Never having really used either before, i think the cruising chute will be the easier of the two to use.

The chute is made by Crusader sails and their website says it can be used on a dead run - they have a pic of it goosewinged with the tack strop lengthened so it flies high and free without a pole.

Now I've always thought that a cruising chute wasn't ideal for a dead run, but today I saw a boat running with a cruising chute poled out and the tack strop short as it would normally be.

Any advice from the forum?

 

[rwoofer]

Running is fine with a cruising chute as long as it is not blanketed by the main. Typically I pole out the genoa and have the cruising chute on the opposite side. I once hoisted both in the solent and didn't take them down until I hit Falmouth 24 hours later!

 

[DerrickHigton]

When running, like you, I drop the main and pole out my largest genoa on the opposite side to the cruising chute. It is very stable and I have run single-handed like this on autopilot for 24 hours at one stretch. Few people advocate this arrangement, but it works best for me.

 

[Searush]

The clue is in the fact that they look new & UNUSED!

I don't think I have used my cruising chute since I bought the boat. It was fun to play with when I had the crew available, but the engine beats it hands down if short handed!

In really light winds, the sea will often be throwing the boat around too much for it to set properly. If the wind strengthens a bit so it has some pulling power, it needs careful handling as the forces on the sheets etc can get quite high.

But no doubt fully crewed racers will have a different perspective.

 

[William_H]

I would think that a cruising chute being essentially a very large jib will set easiest just off the wind. If you pole it out then you can sail closer to dead square but for really close to square running the spin on a pole will be easier as it can be set with tack further to windward. ie flat across the wind.
I wouldn't pull the mainsail down unless you are running for a very long way and want to save wear on the main. If it blankets the wind it doesn't matter very much unless you are relying on pull from near the front of the boat for easier steering. Just try all the options olewill

 

[AndrewB]

There have been many, many threads on these forums about sailing with a cruising chute, it would pay to do a search. It is clear from these that different people find different things work best, depending presumably on the configuration of the boat and the cut of the sail. Cruising chutes can be cut differently for fine/beam reaching or broad reaching/running.

I too had a Crusader chute which was used for many thousands of miles in light conditions, but was replaced last year.

When running, except in calm water and a very attentive crew, you will need to pole the sail. Normally you will pole to windward by the clew, i.e. goosewinging, but occasionally it pays to pole to leeward, if you are on a course close between broad reaching and running. At times it may be possible to gybe leaving the cruising chute alone.

My new sail though suprisingly works far better downwind when treated as an asymetric spinnaker, i.e. poled from the tack. So there are various ways it can be used.

You can find elsewhere here plenty of advice on how to hoist, gybe and retrieve a cruising chute by different methods, both orthodox and unorthodox. My tips are (a) the same as William_H's, don't use it without the mainsail, it could be a pig to get down if the wind pipes up; (b) if you don't have a downhaul on the pole, rig a retrieval line.

 

[lw395]

It depends on your boat, but try heading up 10 degrees to get some apparent wind across the sails. I find this gives good sailing and fast progress. Obviously if the desired course is dead downwind, a gybe will be called for. I generally snuff the chute for a gybe, and use it as an opportunity to mark the chart, make tea etc, ...
I really differ from searush, this is much better than several hours of listening to a diesel engine, but maybe his is quieter than mine.
Give it a try when you're running in about 10 knots true. Its not always the best sail, but it definitely has its place, imho.
I'm not a fan of poling sails out goosewinged, unless you're running down river in an Enterprise. I know it can be a good way to cross oceans, but I don't seem to do that (esp not downwind!) I don't like the hassle of gybing a poled out sail, where you need guys to control the pole, unless you have plenty of searoom.
What works may be influenced by the seastate, if the waves are coming at just the wrong angle for apparent wind sailing, it may be best to try something else. Like a longer boat perhaps!?
Cheers,

 

[flaming]

[ QUOTE ]
the engine beats it hands down if short handed!


[/ QUOTE ]

That is a really sad and disappointing attitude.
Despite the fact that most of my sailing at the moment is fully crewed racing I grew up sailing mainly 2 up with my old man. We flew the cruising chute as soon as the wind was aft of the beam. I utterly refute any assertion that the engine is any way preferable to a kite of any sort.

Flying a cruising chute or a kite is not difficult at all. It's also not an easy thing to describe on a forum. Get someone who knows what they're doing to come for a sail and show you.

 

[MoodySabre]

I bought a boat a couple of years ago that had a cruising chute. After a bit of reading there is no substitute for having a go in a moderate breeze. It won't bite and the sight of all that colour billowing out as you pull up the snuffer is great. Maybe the Crouch is a bit narrow for trying lots of points of sail so come to the Blackwater and give it a go!

Last year, knowing that I was going to use the chute I rigged it in the marina. Two people came up to me and asked for advice because they'd got them and never used them. As soon as I was in clear water a mobo came up and said he wanted to watch because he'd got a yacht but had never used his chute and wanted to see how I did it. So you are not alone - do it!

 

[charles_reed]

I use both genniker and full spinnaker, single-handed, and can confirm there's no big deal.

I've tried a snuffer and, for my boat with a smallish foresail (860ft2) the extra strings are more trouble than they're worth.

I use the spinnaker on a pole on runs from 40° either side of dead aft and the genniker (admittedly not a cruising chute, being more asymmetric and set on a bowsprit) for anything up to a close reach - but only in fairly light airs (up to F3). After that the genoa gives sufficient drive.

Genniker and spinnaker together are probably used as much as the genoa.