dropping the kite....

AIDY

AIDY

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dropping the spinnaker

these days i seem to be short handed and have to do most things on board. I have a snuffer but hate using it especially when racing, I launch and retrieve the kite in the conventional way behind the genoa. dropping involve's unfurling the genoa bringing the pole forward and tripping the end attached to the pole. with 2 only on board a 40+ foot boat it's for me to retrieve the kite and dump it down the hatch while the helm lowers the halyard and keeps the boat on course.

However there always seems to be too much power in the kite (with15-20Knots of wind) when the pole end is tripped. I'm not sure if it's to do with the halyard not been lowered quick enought (maybe a turn on the winch and to let it run free would help). Or the barber hauler should be pulled in tighter to get the spinny in tighter and give it greater shelter.... All things to try but any of you experts can offer any other advice to try.

It works okay as present and is safe, but would be nice to get it effortless...
 
Dropping the kite

Your technique sounds good to me but if there is too much power in the kite then my solution would be to bear away so the kite is truly in the shadow of the main (and genoa). I have done this single handed with the boat held on a very broad reach using the autohelm. I stand on the companionway steps so my head is below boom height and can then can release the spinny halyard whilst pulling the whole shebang under the boom and down the hatch. This of course requires sea room and reasonably benign conditions (otherwise I would not have put it up!). If you are racing then I suppose you need to be much more efficient than this. I'll be interested to see if you get some better ideas from others.
Morgan
 
When you trip the spinnaker is the guy on a snapshackle, or do you let the guy run through the pole end. The latter method works but would tend to cup the spinnaker and put pressure on it whilst trying to gather in ; if the former, the sail can properly weathercock with little pressure whilst being retrieved. Its a big spinnaker for a singlehanded retrieve though. Allowing the pole to fall to the forestay on a reach as mentioned sounds right too. lazy sheets also add to the problems ,in my opinion.

ianat182
 
Is your main loose-footed on the boom?

If it is, take a bight of the lazy guy through between the foot and the boom ( known as letterboxing) feeding this into the companionway.

Then ease the working guy forward until the pole just touches the forestay. Next blow the working guy completey, followed by the working sheet.

The sail should now be flagging nicely with next to no load. You can then pull the sail through the letterbox, without any need to go forward at all.

Pulling the kite through like this helps squeeze the air from the kite and it lifts it away from the water.

Give it a try, this is one of our options for dropping when racing with a full crew, but no reason at all why it wouldn't work short handed.

Cheers,

John
 
I've used the letterbox drop before with my loose foot main.... However I've reverted to a stackpack for ease of flaking the main short handed so no good.

thanks anyway
 
When the Quarter Ton ,and small J24's were much in evidence, there was a trend for the dinghy type downhaul through the pulpit with a retrieval line to a centre patch on the spinnaker;as it was lowered it was squeezed and air vented. Worked fine until the spinnaker became wet then terrific drag. I used to sail my Merlin using this method and built a 'mouth' into the bow for this purpose,again though,this way might be a handful with the larger spinnakers.

ianat182
 
Good technique that works on our boat when racing is "Stretch & blow".
It requires that the jib is hoisted/unfurles in advance of the drop. You then ease the guy so the spinaker pole is just not touching the forestay. Now you trim the sheet.In this way you'll be pulling the kite flat against the jib. Next step is to 'blow' the halyard. You just let it run.The kite will now be flying gently to leeward a couple of meters above the water. Depending on weather conditions, it may be necessary to let the halyard only run for a couple of meters, followed by a gentle ease. Big plus about this method is that it works on all courses and in all conditions.
 
One technique I've used on 40' s/h drops is to trail the halyard in the water, this gives enough resistance in the early stage of the drop to keep the head close to the mast and prevents it snagging. The load drops as you pull it down. I would also just dump the guy and let it run from the cockpit.

Grinding the sheet in hard before the drop means its easy to grap the sheet/clew and work from that corner.
 
Obviously I am only on a 36 footer with a very conservative rig, but my singlehanded drop would be:

Autohelm on, attach light (8mm) line on to spin sheet that I can take to the mast,
ease pole to forstay,
Easy spin sheet so spin is slack,
Zoom forward trip snap shackle on guy,
zoom to mast drop 8-10ft halyard,
Pull on light line to retrieve sheet and grab handfuls of spinnaker whilst letting out lengths of halyard.
Drop the spinnaker on deck behind main. If it is light I just catch it on deck otherwise down the forehatch.

The light line is the trick for me.
 
Sounds to me like you're not fully sheltering the kite behind the main and jib.

Before you drop head very downwind, ease the pole to the forestay and oversheet the kite, as if you were reaching with it. I would then have the person dropping in the hatch ready, whilst the other person dumps the guy. You then start pulling, and the other person moves to the halyard and starts dropping. You can then just control the speed of the drop with your hand to ensure it doesn't go in the water.

If you find that once the guy has been blown (I wouldn't trip shorthanded, it takes you to the wrong end of the boat, and that delay is I suspect contributing to your issues) the kite is still difficult to drop then smoke 20 foot of halyard. This should take the power out of it.
 
Spin Drop

My emergency drop on a much tinier boat is a bit like the letter box drop. I have never seen that done between the boom and the mainsail but often just pull the spin in under the boom.
My drop depends on having the brace able to run freely through the end of the pole. (and having a long brace (sheet).
One person grabs the spin sheet in my case in front of the main sheet while standing in the main hatch. A boat hook can be useful to help grab the sheet.
I release the brace which brings the pole around to the forestay. At the same time the halyard is released. from the cockpit of course. The person in the hatch pulls like crazy until all the spin is inside under his feet.

If necessary you can raise the spin from this position but there is a lot of spin to drag around to the front of the boat. Mostly I launch from the anchor hatch and retrieve back into the anchor hatch if another spin run is anticipated. olewill
 
A few things to add.

If you have time first, you might try dropping 2-3 feet of halyard, so the head is even more sheltered after you blow the guy (or let it run). It also will bring the sail down a bit and make it easier to control the foot.

I agree with Flaming and others - make sure you are headed far enough downwind.

Finally, if controlling the spin halyard is too difficult when shorthanded, you can stream it out behind the boat (just throw it over the stern, making sure it isn't twisted/knotted), and take one turn around the halyard winch. When you want to drop, just open the clutch. The friction around the winch and the small friction of the water will let the first bit of halyard run out very quickly, then in a very controlled manner. You'll find you are pulling it down towards the end, and can eventually take the wrap off. If you are worried, put two wraps on the first time you try it.

I don't like the idea of blowing the halyard first. The image of the entire spinny streaming out to leeward, attached at tack and clew, fills me with dread. I am sure it can work, but it is not "failsafe". If it doesn't work, the kite will be in the water. Not fun.
There is one cardinal rule in spinnaker drops, as a Kiwi skipper used to remind us on every drop: "Keep it dry."

PS - further to William H's post, for non antipodeans: BRACE = GUY
 
Aidy said RACING! So, forget about falling off to almost downwind. This will cost a lot of time. Since he wants to drop the kite I asume the next one is an upwind leg. So he has to HEAD UP. And this is excellent for a Stretch-and-Blow-drop as mentioned earlier. That one works especially good close reaching to beam reaching when it blows. Hoist jib, head up, ease pole to forestay, trim spin sheet, blow halyard and stuff the sucker into the FOREhatch. Stow the pole and leave everything else as is. Go and find the way to the upwind mark. (Okay, when it gets pretty wet on the foredeck you have to clear the ropes in order to close the hatch - otherwise leave everything attached. That way you can hoist the chute again without wild preparation.). I repeat: The Stretch-and-Blow works especially good when it blows (dogs from chains). Let the halyard go and the chute will fly to leeward. No, it wont fall into the water. Just don't forget the Stretch before the Blow! Otherwise it Sucks. Let the halyard go only partially when there isn't enough wind.

Faid winds
 
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