Cruising chute: gybing in or out, and Tackers

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BelleSerene

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I gybe outside the forestay. Reduces the chances of a wrap. But Kemp Sails provide a pdf on the basics of cruising chute handling, which clearly describes running the chute sheets between forestay and sail, and gybing it on the inside. There must be a reason for this; and a way of avoiding the obvious wrap risk as you pull a wind-filled pocket of sail is pulled past the forestay. Can anyone help me out here?

Also, I wonder about a 'tacker': one of these devices you attach to the tack of an asymmetric which slides up and down the rolled-up genoa on the forestay. They're supposed to make the asymmetric work more effectively by stopping it pulling to leeward. But shouldn't you be letting out more sheet if it's pulling to leeward? Hell, when I'm at all down wind, the tack of my asymmetric heads up to windward if I loosen the sheet nicely! Presumably I'm missing a trick?
 
Cats n gybing

We always Gybe outside or around the forestay on our cat as that is what it wants to do naturally.
I know cats n mono's are different but the same principles apply.

Dont nofin 'bout Tackers tho!

Mark
;)
 
Cruising chute -Gybing......

Between the forestay andsail is the way I use the chute; keeping tension on the releasing sheet and the guy when crossing the sail makes for a tidy gybe; to help even more, release about a foot off the halyard so the the sail is taken away forward of the forestay;re-tension halyard shortly after gybe completed. If you have too much wind in the sail you haven't gone far enough downwind for the gybe ,I would guess,

ianat182
 
If you have a furling jib/genoa, you could unroll a few wraps. Keep it sheeted on both sides, just so the clew can get out to about the toerail. It will gybe itself and prevent a wrap around the forestay.
 
BelleSerene said:
I gybe outside the forestay. Reduces the chances of a wrap. But Kemp Sails provide a pdf on the basics of cruising chute handling, which clearly describes running the chute sheets between forestay and sail, and gybing it on the inside. There must be a reason for this; and a way of avoiding the obvious wrap risk as you pull a wind-filled pocket of sail is pulled past the forestay. Can anyone help me out here?
Click to expand...

I have always used your method but have been re-thinking things after running over the lazy sheet a couple of times in the gybe. Problems start for me when the sail has to flag out right forward in order to get it round. Singlehanded it is not easy to perform the necessary on both sheets at the same time.

I too have seen the Kemp advice and next season intend to give it a go.
 
Gybing outside the sail needs very long sheets.
Gybing inside is much more like a dinghy with an assymetric, except the lack of a bowsprit means the kite is harder to get past the genoa/forestay because it is so close. You may have to steer quite high for a short while to get it over, then bear away smartly as it fills.
Maybe outside is better when it's breezy. In light airs the weight of the sheets will tend to stop the sail flying forward.
When shorthanded with a big cruising chute, I tend to snuff it to gybe, generally taking a few minute break to do a log entry etc
 
I have a short Selden bowsprit. This is enough to make gybing inside very easy. The technique I adopt is to get the helm to go deeper until the chute collapses, then hold the boat until the clew is across, then complete the gybe while the chute is rapidly sheeted. Before I had the bowsprit it was very much more difficult.
 
Been toying with getting one of those Selden sprits. CDan you expand a bit on your experience of it in practise?

Do you fly a gennaker? On a flexible furler?
 
BelleSerene said:
I gybe outside the forestay. Reduces the chances of a wrap. But Kemp Sails provide a pdf on the basics of cruising chute handling, which clearly describes running the chute sheets between forestay and sail, and gybing it on the inside. There must be a reason for this; and a way of avoiding the obvious wrap risk as you pull a wind-filled pocket of sail is pulled past the forestay. Can anyone help me out here?

Also, I wonder about a 'tacker': one of these devices you attach to the tack of an asymmetric which slides up and down the rolled-up genoa on the forestay. They're supposed to make the asymmetric work more effectively by stopping it pulling to leeward. But shouldn't you be letting out more sheet if it's pulling to leeward? Hell, when I'm at all down wind, the tack of my asymmetric heads up to windward if I loosen the sheet nicely! Presumably I'm missing a trick?
Click to expand...

BalleSerene,
The Kemp info sounds interesting - but I can't fnd it - do you have a link?
 
Expanding on the Selden bowsprit: I use a gennaker in a sock (but am thinking about a furler). When moored the bowsprit is kept in rubber clamps on the stanchions. I put it into place before leaving (in the retracted position), rig the gennaker so the sheets are in place, the tack is connected to the tack line through the bowsprit, and the halyard is attached. Following race-boat practice I have netting and shock cord from the pulpit back to the fourth stanchion which hold the gennaker in place. The process is then furl genoa, extend bowsprit, unclip shock cord, raise gennaker, raise sock. Putting it away is the reverse: just drop it, gather it against the netting, and clip on the shock cord. The bowsprit is not long, but provides just enough space for the gybe. It is all exceptionally easy, so much so that it is a continuing joke among my crew that the gennaker will be up as soon as we are the slightest bit off the wind.
 
Interesting. Like yourself , my boat is a cruiser and the spinny / pole set up is simply too heavy for just myself and wife to use. So I was wondering about a gennaker on a sprit for broad reaching in light airs.

How would you compare the performance with gennaker as opposed to spinny?

And does your sprit get in the way of the anchor locker? Is that why you remove it and attach to the stanchions?

Got any piccies of the installation?
 
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