Singlehanded Spinnaker - how?

Wont add much except that a good autopilot is better for this than an undersized one that wanders or overcorrects, for self evident results really..

Dont be afraid to add jammers and cleats and dedicated snatch blocks or snapshackles as and where, as you gain experience. And after a few tries, then is the time to wander around noting the layout 'tips' of other more experienced boats and sailors...

For Example: I have two snapshackles spaced on the cabintop centreline forward of the mast, that engage the snuffer up/down haul and prevent twist

its a beautiful sail, enjoy!
 
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chewi said:
I have read that but never really understood why not. Maybe someone can explain a risk I haven't seen.
the prospect of the kite streaming only from the masthead gives me the willies.
I put stopper knots in, but with enough tail remaining to get it on a winch.
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No knots includes the halyard. However, I have to confess I tend to keep knots in all of them, I think the annoyance of loosing the halyard up the mast is more likely than a broach. On my ploddy cruiser I tend to be fairly tame with kite use...if its windy enough, or I'm sailing high enough for broaching to be a problem, I'm probably getting near hull speed under white sails only and the kite stays in it's bag.
 
I really cannot get used to the snuffer
Damned thing twists, jams needs one on the foredeck to lower.
Needs one to pull the first part of the sail out when hoisting
Control line always get on the wrong side of the sail
Heavier to pull up.
Mouth always wants to bash the mast on the way up & break the deck light
Because it is heavy & hangs down it creates friction with the halliard rubbing on the furler

So this weekend i ditched the snuffer in the garage roof & hoisted the sail like i used to years ago
Went up like a dream & because i could bring in under the boom i only had to go forward with the halliard. Being in the cockpit i could control halliard as i lowered the sail in relative safety
I have come to the conclusion that it it is a DIY botch for those who cannot do the job properly

Sorry everyone but surely i am not alone

Now i will duck behind a parapet & take the flack!!!
 
I would suggest the no knots in spinnaker sheets dates back to when most boats would trip spinny at pole prior to dropping, thus the sheets tended to be shorter than is the norm now. My sheets are long enough to recover the kite to cockpit by running thro pole end while still attached to sail, thus if we do have a nasty wipeout broach the sheet can be dumped enough to depower the sail but still have the end in the cockpit.
 
One in the Halyard is a good idea. When you're standing on the foredeck and you see the whole sail coming down and the sail landing in the water and the halyard follows it. Just as the boat runs over the sail with the sheet and guy still attached you'll wish you had one. .:o:o:o

It may have been too long to stop the sail going in the drink but at least I wouldn't have had to go up the mast to re-reeve the halyard.
 
Spyro said:
One in the Halyard is a good idea. When you're standing on the foredeck and you see the whole sail coming down and the sail landing in the water and the halyard follows it. Just as the boat runs over the sail with the sheet and guy still attached you'll wish you had one. .:o:o:o

It may have been too long to stop the sail going in the drink but at least I wouldn't have had to go up the mast to re-reeve the halyard.
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Agreed.... all but one attachments to the yacht need to run free to avoid disaster and retain the sail, makes sense that the halyard is retained onboard.
 
The halyard trailed in the water works very well when single handing, I could easily drop a fairly big kite that way, as long as the guy/sheet ran without snagging. So most of planning is ensuring the lines will run. Coil and recoil and then feed them down the hatch, or trail them. The worst thing is a half dropped (or hoisted) kite.

If the wind picks up you do need to be able to let it flag ideally held by the sheet close to the boat and the halyard close to the mast, guy completely gone and trailing in the water. From there if the halyard runs and you can collect at the same speed then it should be quite easy to get it in a nice pile in the cockpit/hatch under the boom on most boats. Single handing I would try to do most work from the cockpit area as that is where all the snagged lines happen.

It could be challenging the first few times.
 
Comrade Red said:
My spinnaker has lain unused and unloved in the sail locker for the past 4 years on my 27 foot boat.
And I have never been "in charge" when flying one, only one of the crew a few times.
But this is the year I intend to try to use it solo / single handed.
...
But what next.... what are the must do's and must nots?
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I found the Singlehanded Sailing Tips Book very useful when I was sorting out my intentions wrt spinnaker use. It's a free download and has been posted here before many times but the link is on this page if you're interested : http://www.sfbaysss.org/tipsbook/

Hth,

Boo2
 
Some hints
- once you've decided to hoist, don't stop. Get the kite to the top of the rig. It is easier to deal with it once it is up than to drag it out of the water
- on the drop I agree with others to let the halyard stream astern. If there is not enough friction put a turn around a winch.
- use the main and jib as a blanket during hoist and drop. Consider leaving the jib up, or partly up while you are flying the kite. It will prevent a wrap around the forestay. If you've got roller furling it is easy to leave a bit out for this purpose.

On a different boat using a sprit and assymetric, but you might get some ideas from a hoist and drop shown on this video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX2Ogd1C060

Edit - in the drop you can see the yellow halyard streaming from the cabin top.
 
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Boo2 said:
How can a wet spinnaker sink a boat ?

Boo2
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Yes my little 21fter has been laid over many times by the spin. If you ease the sheet then someone lets the brace (guy) go loose the spin flies up and off the mast top. It in effect drags the boat leeward mast first. Water in my case pours into the cockpit with one side under water and mast near water level. If the main hatch is open or worse a front hatch open or unlocked and there are any waves it would not take much to fill the cabin. On 2 occasions I have lost crew overboard in this scenario. Not nice.
I only sail in sheltered waters so not such a problem. However for safety one should use a kind of figure 8 stopper knot where the tail of the rope is not pulled through but left a bit like a bow. Such that if the tail is pulled the knot comes out. This way sheets can be let fly completely so enabling the boat to right itself. Even the halyard could be let go to free the spin completely if necessary.
To explain I race with a small fleet of friends all in sight of one another and it becomes a bit of a macho thing to show a bit of colour on running and reaching legs. To fly a spin when you really should not is a bit of a show off but who can resist. NaNi Na ni nah olewill
 
I use a spinnaker singlehanded on a 41 ft.boat. Have had it up in 25 knots. the problem is really not getting it up but getting it down.
Methods I use.

Light airs.

No main, no spin pole.
Tack spinnaker to bow on short strop (approx 1 mtr. long) I.e. use as if a geneker.
Retrieve by freeing the tack and pulling the sheet into the main hatch. If halyard is lead back to hatch you can control to drop from the hatch. Standing in the companion way gives you some security.

More wind
Use mainsaii.
Set spin on pole if running, from bow if reaching.
Retrieve by freeing tack and pulling sheet over boom and under main (need loose footed main), this takes all wind out of spinnaker and makes the drop safe and effortless.

If the **** hits the fan.

Free the tack completely, drop the halyard, and pull the sail out if the water into the cockpit.

Don,t fall overboard!!

There is nothing nicer than drifting off downwind under spinnaker in up to fifteen knots. Without main, there is no banging or slatting.

Enjoy
 
Comrade Red,

I used the spinnaker on my Carter 30 cruiser / racer singlehanded, but was rather choosy about wind strength, ie keep it light !

As Fantasie 19 says, a cruising chute is a lot easier, a lot more versatile re wind direction too; on my Anderson 22 I have a tri-radial chute which allows close reaching in light airs, I must admit since I got it the conventional radial head spinnaker has stayed in its' bag.

with traditional spinnakers I think one crucial thing not really mentioned enough here is that the halliard must be controlled when lowering the spin, allowing you to gather it in on the foredeck ( or straight down a hatch ).

If the halliard is let run you may well have the spin drop in the water ahead of the boat then run over it, at the very least a pain and possibly disabling the boat / ripping the sail.

Personally I don't fancy chucking the halliard over the side.

One tip is, get a cheap plastic bucket and a big bag of elastic bands ( bio-degradable ones if poss ! ).

Cut the bottom out of the bucket, creating a funnel.

Feed the spinnaker through the bucket, adding elastic bands around the ' sausage ' the sail has formed.

Now you can hoist the tame sausage and secure the halliard.

A pull on the sheet and guy deploys the sail.
 
I will add a couple more tips for the drop
- make sure you are on a fairly broad reach. Not so broad as to risk a gybe, but broad enough to ensure you get lots of blanketing effect from the main and jib
- when dropping, either blow the tack off or let it run, control the foot of the sail if you can (shouldn't be too hard behind the blanketing effect of main and jib) then drop the halyard

I am really interested by those who recommend not throwing the halyard off the back of the boat. Doing so ensures that you won't have any knots jamming up against the clutch when the sail is half-down, and provides a bit of friction so the sail doesn't run down so fast.

I can tell you that in the class I raced in (minis) it was the universally accepted way of dropping pretty much any sail. If you need to make sure the line is going to run clear, chuck it off the back. Halyards for jib, spi, main - all thrown overboard before the drop. I appreciate that might not be a good idea in a bigger boat with the engine running, but for a spinnaker I don't see the downside.
 
bbg said:
I can tell you that in the class I raced in (minis) it was the universally accepted way of dropping pretty much any sail. If you need to make sure the line is going to run clear, chuck it off the back. Halyards for jib, spi, main - all thrown overboard before the drop. I appreciate that might not be a good idea in a bigger boat with the engine running, but for a spinnaker I don't see the downside.
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Nowhere near as much experience as some here but I do something similar - I just chuck the halyard ends down the companionway so I can ensure they run free when I drop the sails....
 
Comrade Red said:
Michael, what do you mean by this? (no doubt obvious question but checking)
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To blow it means to let it run. Open the clutch and let it drop. You can see it in my video (though have to watch a couple of minutes to get to the drop). Blow the guy (or in my case the tack line) and gather the foot. Blow the halyard and gather the rest of the sail. It doesn't look like it in the video but that drop was in 25 knots with a 70 m2 sail.
 
This is a description i have had from a sailor when i asked for advice
I note that some dinghies use the dousing line to get the sail into a chute & it works for them
Quote:-
I used to hoist and douse a 120m2 spinnaker singlehanded. I hoisted dead downwind through the front cabin hatch and to douse I had a collapsing line attached at the center of "gravity" of the sail. By gently pulling this line the spinnaker collapsed in seconds no matter how windy- you have to release the sheet some good length before going to the mast.. The line started from the center of the spinnaker then through a jammer block (by spinlock) at the mast base and to my hand. With the spinnaker securely collapsed and impossible to fly again a opend the front hatch and a released the halyard while feeding the spinnaker in the cabin. I had four hooks around the hatch, inside the cabin and the spinnaker bag was hanging from these
Unquote

He did this aboard a 36ft boat
 
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