Kite flying - definitely boaty

ShipsWoofy

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Can I pick some brains please….

I have recently bought a radial head spinnaker. Now I need to rig the thing.

So far my experience of spinnakers has been on dinghies which is a totally different kettle of fish I think.

I have a decent sized pole (fnar fnar) and after much searching it seems that poles are generally used on cats, I had been told you could fly from hull to hull, yet I have thus far never seen this practiced. So here goes.

I think I should attach the tack (is that right for a kite) to the windward bow.

spinny.jpg

windward tack on opposite hull in practice.

The sheet then somewhere aft, but how far? Boat is 26 ft, should I be attaching as far aft as possible or would an extra block on the genoa track be a better idea. I can attach right on the stern. What exactly am I trying to achieve here?

If I rig a downhaul on the pole, what do I connect it to? Is it necessary or is this more for racing?

As I understand it the tack should not be tied down but ran through a block for quick release, is that right?

If things get scary which do you let go, the halyard, tack or sheet?

I can not afford a snuffler this year so was thinking of using a bucket with the bottom punched out and big elastic bands, read this in a sailing manual, in practice is this feasible or should we be ok just dragging the thing down onto our larger foredeck?

Sorry for all the questions, but the information I have read so far presumes you have the spinnaker already rigged.
 

jamesjermain

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Here\'s one way

This could get long and complicated but I will try to keep it short and simple.

I would fly the spinnaker so that the tack is taken to the mid point of the forward cross beam - ideally to the end of a short bowsprit.

You would need two sheets to each clew and two blocks on the end of the sprit. One of the sheets from each clew would go through a sprit block and become a guy. The other sheet would be lead to a block on the quarter as far aft as you can manage.

Now, say you hoist on the starboard gybe; you haul in on the starboard guy so that the starbowrd tack coms down to about two feet off the sprit end. Then you haul in on the sheet until the sail fills. You then fly the sail like a loose-luffed genoa or asymmetric spinnaker. To gybe you ease off the working guy and haul in on the lazy guy while doing the same thing with the two sheets.

This works well provided you are sailing with the wind quite well out on the quarter. For running dead down wind there is a further sophistication you can employ. Run a barber-hauler with a block in the end from each bow to the relevant guy. You can then haul the tack out to the windward bow so that the sail is not blanketted by the main. On a long downwind passsage you could strap each guy to its respective bow. This makes for a very stable and chafe free set up and you can lower the main which would be doing almost no work. If you get over pressed or need to drop the sail, always haul in the sheet then release the guy to take the wind out of it. The sail can then be lowered on deck at leisure.

I must add, though, that I would always buy an asymmetric spinnaker for a cat because I would tack down wind in open water.
 

srm

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Another way

I used to have a conventional spinaker on my Bobcat (similar size boat to yours). I just took both tack and sheet down to the corners of the pulpit and led them aft, much easier than messing about with the pole (which I broke anyway). OK not very efficient but worked fine on a run.

On my 31 ft Prout I have an asymetrical cruising chute. With the wind aft of the beam I take the tack down to one bow (windward) and lead the sheet back through the stern pulpit to a winch. Reaching I bring the tack to the centreline (and intend to make a short bowsprit for it as no proper fitting there).

My only experience with a snuffer is the one that came with the Prout - I am seriously considering dumping it as its a drag getting it up and even more of a drag getting it down over the sail. My last boat was a 42 ft classic monohull with a 830 sq ft cruising chute which I regularly used and could set and dowse singlehanded without problems. The smaller sail on a nice stable cat should be a doddle to set and pull down quickly. If its really blowing set the main and pull the chute down behind it into your cockpit.

As to which rope to let go in a panic, my preference is the sheet, then you still have a luff keeping the sail under some form of control. Howevever, when getting the sail down in anything of a breeze it was easier to let the tack go and haul in on the sheet (under the boom) while letting out the halyard. Usually managed to get the big chute into the cockpit without getting it wet, even when single handed.
In light airs we just pulled the sail down onto the foredeck and down the hatch for bagging. Used to hoist it straight out of the sailbag - tied to the deck - with the three corners on top for attaching halyard etc.

Have fun

Sean.
 
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