running downwind with a cruising shute

[davehu]

Cruising shutes do not work well down wind, sailmakers suggest that the best way of setting it down wind is with a pole spinnaker fashion. With a spinnaker on a run the pole is lifted and pulled back until almost square with the wind, and the sheets eased until the leading edge is almost curling. A cruising shute is cut differently, My thoughts on setting it for downwind are.
Keep the pole much lower than you would with a spinnaker so the luff is full but not rounded like a spinnaker. ease the sheet and the pole back until it draws well, I think the pole will be much further forward than with a spinnaker to stop the wind spilling out of the top of the leech.

Whats the forum view, especially any sailmakers.

Please dont tell me that a spinnaker is better, I know that, the Chute came with the boat and I want to make the best of a bad job.

David

 

[FullCircle]

Our whisker pole is about 140% of J, and thus 'stretches' out the chute clew and we dont bring it back dead square, as really the chute only goes to about 165 degrees tops. We keep it approx parallel with the mast ring, does not seem to make much difference keeping it lower. We have quite a high cut clew I guess.
The sail bellies and flops about going forward if we allow the pole forward too far.
The luff just curling at the shoulder (we have a tri radial) seems to give best performance.

 

[jamesjermain]

I can't add much to what you've already worked out.

When we had only one hull, we would use the spinnaker pole down haul, taken through a snatch block on the stemhead, to the tack of the cruising chute. With the wind forward of 120 degrees this was eased or tightened to adjust luff tension to suit wind strength/angle.

Then, when the wind was aft of 120 degrees, we would hook the pole end to the tack cringle and run a guy aft to the cockpit via another snatch block on the toe rail amidships. Then the downhaul could be eased and the guy hauled aft to bring the chute to windward while maintaining a reasonable amount of tension in the luff (ie keeping the pole low as you suggest). This way we could get the chute to draw well until the wind was beyond about 150 degrees aft.

Having said all that, it was actually such a faff that we very seldom bothered with the chute with the wind aft of the beam - using it only as a light weather reaching sail. If there was any danger of the wind hauling aft we'd use the spinnaker.

 

[davehu]

Thank you James for your always useful contributions to this forum. Your comments about the faff of setting it up ring very true, and as I suspected the answer is to get a proper Kite for downwind

 

[Sans Bateau]

JJ, Sailing shorthanded, well nearly single handed, the faff of getting the Chute up on its own, is enough! So I tend to favour Gybing downwind with our chute.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Its also worth paying attention to your VMGs with a cruising chute.....

Often, coming up a few degrees at the expense of a gybe later, can improve your VMG dramatically......

 

[FullCircle]

We pole out and usually drop the main, makes it a lot easier to deal with. Stackpacks are great arent they?

 

[gandy]

Sorry to chip in ... How far off the wind can you drop the main? Can you do so with the main powered up, or to you mean you drop before bearing away?

 

[FullCircle]

In lightish stuff, Dead Downwind, centre it, then get it down .
Can also be winched down from the coachroof winch, as we have 3 single line reefs. Usually send someone up to assist. Has to be clear of the spreaders though.