Cruising Chutes

[Davydine]

My current boat, a Macwester 26, came with a cruising chute which I have not yet got round to flying. Having never flown one before can anyone point me towards a beginners guide on "How to set and trim a Cruising Chute"

I understand that I will not be able to use it on a dead run and should raise and lower in the lee of the main sail. I do not have a snuffer.

Many thanks for your help

David

 

[Mike_02]

Treat it pretty much as you would the foresail. It will have telltails just the same.

 

[mikesharp]

It is definitely a downwind sail and you can set it on a dead run (but probably need a whisker pole). Don't raise the halyard (or downhaul) too tight because it needs a bit of belly to hold the wind. It doesn't want to work unless the wind is from behind the mast (abaft the beam).
We find it helps steady the boat as well as giving a reasonable increase in speed compared with the light genny.

 

[Twister_Ken]

3 corners

Top one goes on the halyard - which really ought to be a spinnaker halyard (with some freedom of movement at the top of the mast) rather than a fixed sheave. Dont pull the halyard tight but leave anywhere between one and six feet out of the mast, depending on windstrength and direction.

Back corner goes on to a sheet which should be led outside of everything to a turning block somewhere near the quarter. If you're using it in light airs, just use a light line for the sheet - a standard sheet can be too heavy and will drag the sail down.

The interesting corner is the front one, and where you attach the sail depends on the wind direction. Somewhat traditional is the idea of setting it on maybe a three foot strop which leads from somewhere near the stemhead, under the pulplit, to the sail. Or, if the wind is further astern, you can rig a spinnaker pole down near deck level and out to windward and run the strop through the end of this to the sail, to pull the luff of the sail up to windward and away from the dead air behind the main. This gives a sort of 'diagonal bow sprit' with the angle from fore and aft being determined by how far aft the wind is.

For real fun (best done in light airs with a few bored bodies aboard) run goosewinged with the genoa, then set the crusing chute to leeward with yards of halyard free, to allow it to set outside and underneath the mainsail (rather like the bloopers or big boys from the IOR era). It won't make you go faster but it looks really weird, and provides lots of jobs for the passengers.

 

[ChrisJ]

Re: 3 corners

We have a block on a spare hole on the bow fitting, and the down-haul from the tack of the cruising chute goes through this, an then back to the cockpit - so you can pull it in and down or let it loose and fly up easily. In fact, the line just catches the navigation light unless you are careful!. This line allow you to control the tack of the sail - let it off on a run to get the sail more spinnaker shaped, tighten up on a reach to get it more genoa shaped.

Halyard is attached to the top of the mast, and is a normal 8 or 10mm line - It needs to be thick enough to grab and pull with a bit of wind in the sail, but thin enough to run quickly so you can hoist quickly before the wind catches the sail.

The sheet is led to turning blocks right on the transom corners, where the pushpit attaches to the deck, just behind the back of the dodgers.


Hoisting.
Auto-pilot on. Set a course 20 to 30 degrees off dead run.
Cruising chute in the bag on the foredeck.
Attach down-haul to tack. Follow leading edge to avoid tangles and attach halyard. Follow leach and attach sheet. Lead sheet down the side of the boat (outside everything) and in through the turning block to the winch. At this stage the chute should still be in a bundle.
You should be able to get the sheet (not too tight) and down-haul approximately set.

With the chute blanketed by the main, hoist quickly.
Press the "luff by 10 degrees" twice on the auto-pilot, and you are away.

 

[johnt]

to simplify what has already been said

treat it as a big jenny

sheet it as far back as you possibly can

run the sheets outside everything

use the halyard and the tack strop to adjust the amount of "belly" in the sail (on the wind tighten up, off the wind, loosen off

it will fly dead downwind ..but you may need to drop the main to get it to fly and you can probably use it from about 80 to 180 deg off the wind (110 to 180 is more usual)

 

[tonyleigh]

On a run give it plenty of sheet. Twice in the last week I have been asked if I was flying an unpoled spinnaker - so much belly it wandered wandered either side of the forestay. In reality just a loose tack and as much sheet as it called for.

 

[Davydine]

Thanks everyone for the help. If the wind stays lite for the weekend we will go out and give it a try! I will probably have more questions once we have given it a go!

Thanks again

David

 

[ChrisJ]

Putting it up is OK - you take your time and plan it carefully.

Its the taking down that is more fun - it might need to be done quicker!
We find that bearing away onto a dead run, so that the kite is fully blanketed, then someone on the foredeck can pull it down and gather it in, while the person in the cockpit releases the halyard and sheet carefully to ensure it a) comes down quick (so it doesn't fill with wind and get blown out again) and b) comes down slowly (so it can be gathered in without going in the water).

 

[jimi]

Since I've acquired a snuffer for the cruising chute I find it a lot easier to set & dowse. Particularly the dowsing bit where previously I just used to bundle it down the companionway. I know not everyone likes them but I certainly use the chute a lot more now.

Jim

 

[Twister_Ken]

Dropping

If you've got the bodies aboard to do it (and the weather is right) a neat way to drop a chute is to have someone in the forepeak with the hatch open. The guy on the foredeck roughly gathers the sail, while the one below pulls it down off the deck. That way the wind is not going take control and blow it over the side. BUT make sure there are no sharp edges around the hatch, and if the sail jams on anything the guy below STOPS PULLING, and frees the sail.

 

[shamrock]

Re: Dropping

Quite right that hoisting is fairly easy but dropping it is the fun bit. Especially as the wind has a habit of getting up 10 knots whilst you are enjoying the downwind ride.

Taking a cue from the racing types with spinnakers, and I guess a chute is similar, the almost guaranteed techinque for handling acres of nylon that wants to fly away is to get it blanketed behind the main.

If you attach the tack by a snapshackle or a long sheet through a turning block, you can free the tack completely whilst holding the sheet under the boom. The sail is then taut between clew and head, blanketed by the main and pretty docile. Drop the halyard at a controlled pace and gather in the sail.

I've dropped spinnakers in 30 knots of breeze like this with only one person pulling in the cloth. Not recommended, but perfectly possible.

 

[tonyleigh]

Re: Dropping

Definitely use main to blanket and if short handed especially a snuffer is a great tool (are there purists who dislike them?) I blanket with main and amble forward leaving helm on autohelm, dowse chute with snuffer and then take my time to feed the docile snake down the forehatch. A great sail and sadly underused - enjoy it. Once you're confident with your technique it's surprising how much you can let the wind strengthen before shortening sail and get exhilerating sailing. Discretion though is always the better part of valour.

 

[jimi]

Running Downwind

I've often wondered, but never got roond to trying, if its efficient to run downwind with twin headsails using the Cruising chute poled out with a sheet through a a block attached to the end of the boom and the genoa poled out on the other side.

Jim

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Running Downwind

I don't believe it would be necessary to pole out the chute if it is was sheeted to the boom end and the boom was squared off. You might want to put a bit of topping lift on the boom though to stop it dragging if (when in my case!) the boat rolls.

 

[jimi]

Re: Running Downwind

Think my command of english may have let me down!
What I really meant was running with two headsails poled out. Using the whisker pole to pole out the Genoa & the boom to act as a pole on the cruising chute. Have you tried that?

Jim

 

[pandroid]

Re: Running Downwind

Why not fly the Chute on a pole just like a normal spini? Our sailmaker actually reccomends that beyond about 140 degrees. Seems to work fine.

 

[jimi]

Re: Running Downwind

I don't have proper spinnaker gear, just a whisker pole & halyard! Proper spinnaker gear is on my list though!

Jim

 

[bedouin]

Much good advice given above.

As a slight variation I would add that I use the genoa to blanket the chute for raising and lowering, rather than the main as others have recommended. This allows the chute to be dropped on almost any point of sailing. (My main is so small that it wouldn't blanket the chute successfully on any point of sailing.

 

[Guest]

Re: Cruising Chutes (dropping)

To lower the thing when short handed try this trick.

Pay the halyard overboard so it streams behind the boat.

When you're ready, just blow the halyard. The drag in the water will control the rate of drop allowing you to gather the thing without going fishing.

You may need to experiment with a drogue of some kind on the halyard.

My old IOR 30' masthead needed a J-cloth tied into the stopper knot. The new 33' fractional doesn't need anything.