Maybe a silly question on raising a spinnaker

[Miker]

I'm one of those shorthanded sailors who has never had the confidence to fly my still shiny new spinnaker. But back from Port St Mary I did and achieved a 50 mile spinnaker run. Great.
However I got into a buggers muddle raising and lowering it! I put the pole into the loop of the bowline knot of the spinnaker sheet. Should I have just hooked the pole over the sheet and slid it along? Also which way up does the pole go? Jaws opening at the pole ends upwards or downwards, or does it matter?
I raised the spinnaker on the leeward side of the genoa and wrapped it around the forestay. My crew unhooked the pole before lowering the spinnaker and it clouted him around the ears.
Gybing wasn't too bad. We unhooked the pole from the mast. Hooked the pole across both spinnaker corners and then unhooked the pole from the first corner to the mast. It seemed to work but is it risky?

 

[Mike_02]

I always haev the jaws facing up. Then when you release the guy the sail flys up and out of the pole it'self....remember the sail will want to travel up not down by it'self.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I guess you have a relatively small boat if you can fly the kite from two sheets, rather than two sheets and two guys, and if you can gybe end-to-end. In which case, try not using a bowline on the sheet but a snap shackle with a landyard on the pin, and a plastic ball behind the shackle to stop it pulling back into the jaws (upwards) of the pole.

To raise, shackle on the tack, clew and head (halyard should be outside the genny halyard and forestay - leading in under the foot of the genoa and over the rail) while still in the bag. Raise the pole on the foreguy and lock off with the downhaul and pull it back to the approx sailing position, using the sheet(guy) and cleat off. This will pull the tack up to the pole end, but leave the rest of the sail in the bag.

Now hoist as quickly as poss without touching the sheet. Trim the sheet and guy to get the kite pulling, then drop or furl the genny, then trim the kite and pole to best positions.

Gybing - try to fly the kite off both sheets while end-for-ending the pole as you did.

Dropping. Unfurl or hoist the genny. Leave the pole in position. Trip the shackle holding the tack. Spinnaker will 'flag' off to leeward. Gather it by pulling the foot and luff under the genoa foot (starting with the sheet) while controlling the rate of descent using the halyard. If sea conditions allow you to have the forehatch open, stuff the spinny down it as you lower and gather. This will stop the wind blowing it off the deck while you've got other things to worry about. Clean up lines and lower pole.

 

[Miker]

Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the advice. Yes, the boat is a 26 footer. I will invest in some snap shackles and put in some practice in suitable weather, if we ever have any in my neck of the woods.

 

[MedMan]

I have little to add to the very full reply from Twister_Ken except, keep your head out the way when you trip the tack prior to lowering. If there is any weight in the wind the pole will be under tension like a bow and will whip downwards with considerable force when the clew is tripped. If your head is below the pole ... ...!

When short-handed sailing we tend to consider 10 miles the minimum distance worth hoisting the spinnaker for!

Good luck

 

[Dipper]

Re: Thanks for the advice

Don't clip the pole into the knot on the guy. If you can't release the shackle you are b******d. Just clip it onto the rope itself.

Another method for lowering the sail that keeps everybody in the cockpit is to release the guy at the cockpit end instead of unclipping the shackle. That depowers the sail. Then follow Twister Ken's procedure, pulling the sail down using initially the sheet and controlling the rate of descent using the halyard. The guy will just slide through the pole end (don't have a knot in the end).

This way, everybody stays out of harm's way in the cockpit and if you only have one crew, you can still manage to control the sail. The helmsman can steer and release the hayard with the single crew grabbing the sheet then releasing the guy. The pole can then be lowered once the spinnaker is stuffed out of way down the hatch.

I also have a 26 footer and this works well for me. Not quite as slick as the 'racing' version.