Lucky Duck
Well-Known Member
A good point, well made
Any tips on packing a spinnaker quickly
- Thread starter Don107
- Start date
anoccasionalyachtsman
Well-Known Member
I haven't seen 'our' method mentioned, and it is pretty quick. This describes a Tri-Radial, but once you get the hang of it it works for everything.
Sit on a saloon berth with the sail in front of you and the bag behind your legs. Clews on relevant sides and the middle of the foot on your lap (handily marked by the central vertical seam, and often the sailmaker's logo) and grab either side of that seam at arms length and pull onto your lap. Keep going up the seam until you get to the horizontal panels and cross them at right angle until you're going up the top vertical panels. When the head arrives, just jam everything on your lap into the bag, doing the corners last. Doesn't take much more than a minute on the 25-40ft boats I used to race.
A little hoisting trick when you're on a close-ish reach and you really don't want it to fill until it's up. Get the foredeck crew to hold the luff tape between his fingers against the leeward luff of the genoa (about 6" back from the forestay) and slightly opposing the pulling of the halyard. This helps the wind to hold the spi luff against the back of the genoa the whole way up. When you want it to fill perhaps as you bear away or are now happy that it's right up, just open a gap between the sails. It's like magic.
Sit on a saloon berth with the sail in front of you and the bag behind your legs. Clews on relevant sides and the middle of the foot on your lap (handily marked by the central vertical seam, and often the sailmaker's logo) and grab either side of that seam at arms length and pull onto your lap. Keep going up the seam until you get to the horizontal panels and cross them at right angle until you're going up the top vertical panels. When the head arrives, just jam everything on your lap into the bag, doing the corners last. Doesn't take much more than a minute on the 25-40ft boats I used to race.
A little hoisting trick when you're on a close-ish reach and you really don't want it to fill until it's up. Get the foredeck crew to hold the luff tape between his fingers against the leeward luff of the genoa (about 6" back from the forestay) and slightly opposing the pulling of the halyard. This helps the wind to hold the spi luff against the back of the genoa the whole way up. When you want it to fill perhaps as you bear away or are now happy that it's right up, just open a gap between the sails. It's like magic.
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Slowtack
Well-Known Member
Have your crew competing for packing speed & clean hoist
yoda
Well-Known Member
Tie off head using sail tie to a point in the cabin, high and forward seems to help. Run down port or starboard tape flaking it as you go until you reach the bottom, ideally somebody else does the other tape at the same time. once once put to one side and do the other tape the same. Stuff the spinnaker into the bag from the centre of the foot (which is now obvious) so you end up with both clews and head left at the top of the bag. Attach to turtle and you are ready to go
Yoda
Don107
Well-Known Member
Hi all
Thanks for the advice so far
Had a race this afternoon and put the head onto a clip over the door to the v berth and ran the red and green tapes together until i found the clews and then put each one over a port hole latch on either side and then sat on the companionway step with the turtle on my knees, found the makers symbol in the centre, stuffed the belly in and then when it was all in put the head and clews in
It looked a bit rough but it came out ok on the next hoist and was reasonably quick to do so i might keep doing it this way
Regards Don
Thanks for the advice so far
Had a race this afternoon and put the head onto a clip over the door to the v berth and ran the red and green tapes together until i found the clews and then put each one over a port hole latch on either side and then sat on the companionway step with the turtle on my knees, found the makers symbol in the centre, stuffed the belly in and then when it was all in put the head and clews in
It looked a bit rough but it came out ok on the next hoist and was reasonably quick to do so i might keep doing it this way
Regards Don
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
If possible hang all three corners up so you can't lose them when running the tapes.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
You have to consider the plan for the next hoist when doing a forehatch drop. With a bit of practice quite easy to learn to do a windward drop in all but heavy airs.
You can swing the gear using the forehatch to hold the corners, but it is easier with two people at the cost of weight on the foredeck.
Bigger problem is taping up anything that might catch, especially on a cruiser racer. It's amazing how far a hatch handle will fly.
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awol
Well-Known Member
One handy tip is if repacking in the saloon remove all loose items from table, floor, seats before dropping - things like shoes, hats, gloves, cameras, mobile phones, etc.. Adding a few water balloons if you are not going to be on the foredeck and it's a pulpit turtle can be amusing!
bbg
Well-Known Member
Another handy tip - contrary to what some people on this thread have said about putting the foot in first, I put it in last. If it is on top it is easy to sneak the tack out towards the pole end before you start to hoist the head. This gets the tack and clew slightly separated right from the beginning, which will make for a quicker set and reduce the risk of the kite twisting during the hoist.
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
True this. I always leave about 10 or 15 feet of tack to pack last and therefore on top for sneaking.
Xenofonte
New Member
Up -> Up
Down -> Down
Fore -> Fore
Aft -> Aft
And the control rope of the sleeve on top of all
you can see for more details:
https://youtu.be/FwnlpXYfrQs
Down -> Down
Fore -> Fore
Aft -> Aft
And the control rope of the sleeve on top of all
you can see for more details:
https://youtu.be/FwnlpXYfrQs
Mister E
Well-Known Member
What is the Turtle please?
Xenofonte
New Member
The "turtle" is the nickname of the spinakker´s bag. 
Mister E
Well-Known Member
The "turtle" is the nickname of the spinakker´s bag.
Thanks for the info.
Iain C
Well-Known Member
I always find a sigh, followed by a loud, disapproving, patronising "TODAY..." from behind the safety of the wheel works wonders in these situations.
You may wish to combine with other methods such as the loud tut, the look skywards, the facepalm, the glance at your watch, or if you really need to reinforce the point, put your gin into the binnacle cup holder, turn your hands palms upwards and shrug your shoulders whilst putting on a look of total disbelief.
It may improve performance on the foredeck, or you may receive the return hail "fine...it's your f****** kite, you go and get it".
You may wish to combine with other methods such as the loud tut, the look skywards, the facepalm, the glance at your watch, or if you really need to reinforce the point, put your gin into the binnacle cup holder, turn your hands palms upwards and shrug your shoulders whilst putting on a look of total disbelief.
It may improve performance on the foredeck, or you may receive the return hail "fine...it's your f****** kite, you go and get it".
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Good description - just needs a bit more shouting! Rather like the front end of the Osprey fleet and the reason I stayed at the back (apart from being incompetent).
My furling chute should enable me to do it all by myself and avoid all the shouting.
