Cruising chute & snuffer

[lw395]

I can just imagine some forumites in the rtir being on port tack as 10 boats come up yelling STARBOARD.
yeah ok mate , can i just go forward an snuff my sail first. It makes a much neater gybe and i don't want it round my forestay do I ��������������
well the OP was asking about the rtir

Maybe that's why they are called cruising chutes?

If you are taking part in a race, you need to be able to gybe in the circumstances.
Maybe in the ARC, needing 10 minutes to gybe won't hurt.
RTIR, sometimes you only get 10 seconds.
when you're on port, you need to keep a good lookout, including astern, for boats you need to keep clear of.
When you're on starboard, you still need to watch for leeward boats and muppets.
Keeping clear of the muppets is often the key to having a nice day.

 

[TLouth7]

I wonder - by 'get the clew through fast', are you meaning you gybe the chute between its leading edge and the forestay? I was meaning gybe it round the front of everything, so avoiding more of that wrap problem? We may be saying the same thing.

That is what I was thinking. I thought from your original comment that this is what you were suggesting (as opposed to gybing through the fore-triangle which is unwise with a normal setup):

Does it help if you gybe OUTSIDE (forward of) the forestay?

Gybing the chute around the front of its luff is perfectly doable, but requires longer sheets. Be very careful not to keel-haul the lazy sheet. I suspect that the advice to get the sail through the gybe quickly still applies, but I can't speak from experience.

Back to the original point of snuffer vs no snuffer, I like the fact that you can get it hoisted just before a change of course and then un-snuff very rapidly as you round the mark. In extremis you can always drop the chute in the conventional way, though an adjustable tack line would probably be required.