Beginners guide to the Spinnaker

[Joe_Cole]

Light winds on Tuesday as we sailed home so we thought we would try out the spinnaker. We got it up and had a lovely sail. The wind piped up a little so, to play safe, we pulled it down. And all without it touching the water! We felt very proud of ourselves.

But tell me

1. Should the outboard end of the pole be clipped onto the guy or the clew? We fixed it to the clew, mainly because it had to go somewhere.

2. The spinnaker can obviously be used with a following wind, but can it be used on a broad reach or even a beam reach? Or is the answer "It all depends on your boat"

3. Do you always need a pole or can you just let it fly? I tried it briefly without the pole but it seemed to sway a lot. It didn't seem right so I put the pole back on.

Sorry to ask what are probably basic questions but I can't find the answers in my sailing books.

Joe Cole

 

[Guest]

1. Theguy
2. Depends on the boat and the spinnaker but some can go as close as 60 degrees apparent. Lots of falling over potential though.
3. Keep the pole. A loose flying spinnaker will end in teers/tears.

Buy a book like 'Racing crew' from the Fernhurst series. Best way to learn about spinnakers is to get some rides on a racing boat doing 'Round the cans' racing.

Cheers

Richard

 

[Joe_Cole]

Thanks Richard.

I'll have a look at the book.

Regards

Joe Cole

 

[Jeremy_W]

1. The guy
2. Broad reach definitely; beam reach probably; close reach - it depends on the cut of the spinnaker, but not with a general purpose cruising spinnaker.
3. It's normal to let the kite fly on its own for brief periods (e.g. when switching the pole from one gybe to another) but not recommended for any length of time.

Try "This is Downwind Sailing" (published by Nautical, I think) rather than a race training manual, as a lot of the racing techniques need a large crew.

 

[davidhand]

1) You clip it to the guy. You don't say how big your boat is or whether you are set up for end for end gybing or dip pole gybing. Generally speaking boats less than 35' have end for end set up more than that dip pole, if you have dip pole you probably ought to have two sheets and two guys for all but light conditions.
2) It depends on the cut of the spinakker, but you should be able to hold a beam reach, might even go a bit to weather. You should adjust the pole so that it's at right angles to the wind, then let out the sheet until the luff just starts to curl then sheet in until the curl dissapears, keep doing this.
3) It's OK to let the spinakker fly free for short periods say when Gybing but you probably don't want to do this for long periods.
Have fun.

 

[extravert]

I won't repeat the information that everyone else has offered (and agrees on!).

An extra point regarding spinnaker reaching though is that the maximum true wind in which you can happily use your spinnaker reduces as you come round from a run to a reach. This might seem obvious, as apparent wind increases by going more upwind, but it is easy to find out this the hard way. When you are happily trolling along downwind with a spinnaker, changing course and heading even slightly more upwind can let all hell break loose on a breezy day. Also I find that spinnaker reaching is very sensitive to any increase in true wind speeds, like gusts or coming into free air round a headland.

So yes you can reach with a spinnaker, but take care. Don't do it on a gusty day. Give yourself plenty of sea room. Practice emergency de-powers and drops, you'll need them.

 

[kingfisher]

1. The guy
Let me explain. NEVER ever tie a figure eight knot at the end of spinakker sheets. In case of a wind gust, and loosing control, simply go on a run, and let the sheets go. The spinakkersheets will simply slide out of the blocks, out of the pole, and the spi will fly in front of the boat (getting it back is another problem).
So if you attach the pole to the clew, and there's a wind gust, you can't depower the spi. It could take your mast off.
2. Run or reach depens on the cut of the spinakker. Just don't let out the pole any further than the frontstay. A few inches from the frontstay is the maximum you can let out the pole.

Tips for launching a spi

Drive exactly downwind, pull on the sheets, so that the base is opened completely, and then raise the spi.

Tips for taking down:

Drive downwind, let go of the windward sheet (guy?) completely (remember, no fig.8 knot), and start pulling on the leeward sheet until the spi is on board.

REMEMBER: A SPINAKKER IS PROPORTIONATE TO THE SIZE OF THE BOAT SO THAT IT ALWAYS FILLS THE COCKPIT COMPLETELY.

Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[Twister_Ken]

One slight disagreement - launch the kite on a broad reach so that it goes up in the wind shadow of the main. This stops it popping early. Ditto for dropping.

 

[Guest]

Would also suggest hoisting before spreading it out as on any boat above 25' hoisting a kite which is 'filling' will require alot of effort and control.
Also it is wise to leave the genny up untill kite is up as it shadows it and helps prevent wraps.Hoisting genny before dropping kite has same advatage
Go for it!!

 

[bedouin]

Agree totally about NEVER putting a stopper knot in Spinnaker Sheets, Guys or halyards - Emergency de-power of a spinnaker is to let fly the guy, and then gather in on the sheet. (Although I've twice been on boats where we've somehow managed to lose one of the sheets that way).

If you've got a decent size roller-reefing Genoa, then by far the easiest way to manage the spinnaker is to hoist and lower it in the lea of the unrolled Genoa - there is no way it will fill in those conditions so the forces will be much more manageable.

The other tip - as mentioned above - get the clews well separated before you start to hoist.

 

[Jeremy_W]

BE CAREFUL!

If you put some welly into furling your genny while the kite is up, you can jam the kite halyard round the genny furler. Then the kite won't set properly, the genny won't furl, you can't lower the kite and the whole shooting match needs someone up the mast to sort out the mess! Been there; seen that; done that...

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re: BE CAREFUL!

Thanks everyone. Very helpful indeed.

Now I'm off to take those stopper knots off. Funnily enough its advice on what NOT to do which is just as helpful as advice on what to do.

Regards


Joe Cole

 

[Guest]

I was once given a great piece of advice on spinnakers:

When you've filled your trousers twice and the cockpit once, it's time for the spinnaker to come down.

 

[Chris_Stannard]

I would fully support the advice to buy 'This is down wind sailing' by John Oaksey. It is full of valuable advice.

Two of the tips:

When recovering the spinnaker, and if you have a sheet and a guy on both sides, bring the lazy guy over the lee guardrails and round a winch or to some point where it is bolted down firmly but you can let it go in extremis. Then if the drop goes wrong you always have the corner and the spinnaker will be behind the main. Incidentally, if you have both a sheet and a guy on each side, which is usual in a boat of 35 feet or more, then the guy should be clipped to the sheet and the sheet should be through the jaws of the pole.

If you decide to gybe the spinnaker, bolt the main on the centre line and fly the spinnaker on both sheets, whilst the spinnaker is gybed. The helmsman needs to steer a steady downwind course.

Fair winds and a quick passage.



Chris Stannard

 

[incognito]

Another point worth noting... when gybing the spi you should either unroll a big triangle of genoa, or fit some 'webbing' arrangement (see Nicholson on sails) to prevent the spi wrapping itself around the forestay/genoa if you don't keep it flying all through the gybe - as you probably won't if you are inexperienced (or think you are experienced!!)

 

[Twister_Ken]

Gybing with a spinnaker squeezer is far more sensible on a shorthanded crusing boat!

 

[vyv_cox]

That's a matter for debate! Although I have never used a squeezer I don't like the idea of the extra lines and complication. Although we normally sail two-up and gybe my large, masthead spinnaker without problems, I have gybed it single-handed several times. As someone says above, it's just a matter of holding the boat just off dead downwind and keeping the sail on the sheets while the pole is swapped to the opposite guy. With a twin guy/sheet system, of course.

 

[trib]

Slightly off the subject ... someone once told me ...

If you don't have a snuffer (and it's a really worthwhile investment) there's a neat way of putting away your spi. You need a plastic bucket with the bottom cut off, and a handful of longish, fine elastic bands. Stretch the bands around the outside of the bucket, and when you're putting away the sail, feed the head of the spi through the (originally) open end of the bucket, and pull through, rolling off one elastic band every couple of feet. Stow the sausage in the bag ready for the next set.

When you're ready to set, attach the sheets, guys and halyards, position the pole to approximately the right position, leave the sheet loose, hoist the sausage behind the genny. Once up, a pull on the sheet and ... pop pop pop ... the elastics break as the sail fills from below.

It may be a waste of elastic bands, but it should make the set a lot cleaner and simpler if it works.

DISCLAIMER ..... It sounded feasible when I heard it, so I thought I'd throw it in for a discussion. I still haven't had the chance to try it out myself, coz I only sail with white sails nowadays.

 

[tome]

Have a look at

http://members.aol.com/marlanc/spin2.html

 

[Twister_Ken]

Laccy bands work fine, as does 'stopping' the kite with ties of what the books call 'rotten cotton' every few feet. Could never find rotten cotton so we used to use two ply knitting wool.