spinnaker advice for a beginner please

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deep denial

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Having never used a spinnaker before, I though I might try this weekend to get the old one out of the bag and give it a try. I haven't used one before, nor seen one being used. So, I can work out where the head goes, but how, and to what, do I attach the two clews? I have a spinnaker pole, and a line attached to the mast which I assume to be an uphaul (??). If I can just see where to attach the clews I can play around with it, and the winds are light enough at the moment not to get into too much trouble! many thanks.
 
I am not experienced with a spinnaker so you will get fuller advice from others which I will be interested to follow.

Basically (and crudely) you have 2 ropes running the length of the boat outside of everything. These rope are each about twice the boat overall length. The ropes go to each of the spinnaker clews. The leward one is the sheet. The windward one is the guy. The guy runs through the outboard end of the spinnaker pole before it reaches the spinnaker clew. You should also have a downhaul on the spinnaker pole to stop the pole rising.

You play the spinnaker with the sheet and in a well set up situation the pole is roughly in line with the boom thus looking rather like an extension to the boom.

Hope this helps. I look forward to reading what others say.
 
Treat yourself to a snuffer, it will change your life ( and your attitude to spinnaker flying), but stand by for Flaming to come roaring in with a counter argument! Personally, we have snuffers on the cruising chute and the spinnaker and for short handed crews they are a boon. With a full race crew it's a different story. Any sailmaker will quote you, but we got a good job and good deal from Jeckells.
 
How big a boat is it?

Is it a symmetric spinnaker or an assymetric (a.k.a a cruising chute)?

Normally under about 35' for a symmetric spinnaker you have two lines which attach to the spinnaker clews. They would run through blocks on the quarters. You also need tweaker's for a full set up. These attach to the spinnaker lines and normally run through block on or near the deck edge for'd of the cockpit.

Does your pole have two bridles? One would be for the uphaul and one for the downhaul. Normally you'd have a block or two on the foredeck for the downhaul, but one can be improvised.

Spinnaker poles on larger boats have no bridles and the uphaul (a.k.a. fore topping lift) and downhaul (a.k.a. foreguy) go to the end of the pole. You could either have a fixed point or track on the mast at the inboard end of such a pole.
 
Also, as an inexperienced experimenter, I can tell you not to try it on a run, in a F4, with a helm who doesn't recognise a gybe situation and lastly let go of the sheet and guy if it gets too frisky. Do not try to hang on to them.
The ice packs from your freezer box are handy for palm burns. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
You can expect lots of helpful advice on here but without some diagrams you may struggle to picture the setup/explanations.

Have a look here for starters,

http://www.bostonharborsailing.com/results/manual-Spinnakerclassv1.pdf

but two particular things I should like to forewarn you about are: -

Do make sure your pole downhaul in anything but a zephyr is taut and clipped off at all times- if not and a gust hits you it will at best be a heartstopper.

Secondly the windward (lazy)genoa sheet must go OVER the spinnaker pole AND ahead of the pole uphaul halyard, so that you have freedom, if necessary to hoist the genoa and luff up/tack to get searoom whilst dowsing the kite.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can tell you not to try it on a run, in a F4, with a helm who doesn't recognise a gybe situation

[/ QUOTE ]

Good advice, but you don't normally do that anyway even when racing. Most boats, especially post-IOR boats, perform best when sailed roughly on the opposite of their close-hauled angles in moderate conditions like that.

At least with a helmsman like that you usually get several minutes warning of the crash gybe. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[ QUOTE ]
lastly let go of the sheet and guy if it gets too frisky. Do not try to hang on to them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, last resort, can cause more problems than it solves. Ease the sheet if overpressed as well as the kicker on the main. Wear good gloves.
 
One thing no-one has mentioned is hoisting and dropping....

The hoist..... its is very important that you get the sail all the way up before letting it power up.... a spinnaker that is filled, but not fully hoisted (topped off is a common expression) is a very unstable sail... it will see-saw from side to side wildly...so make sure that whoever is hoisting is aware of the importance of keeping going until its at the top, and then lets whoever is handling the guy and sheet know that it is 'topped off'..... if you are short handed, a good strategy is to set the guy in roughly the right place, and leave the sheet pretty free so that the sail doesn't fill.... but make sure you don't lose the end of it.... and don't make it off!

For the drop, easiest is to free right off so that the main blankets the spinnaker, ease the sheet enough to depower the sail, but don't let it flog.... and then while someone eases the halyard, pull in on the sheet to pull the sail down onto the deck... balance the two activities so that the sail doesn't end up in the water.... a wet, water filled spinnaker is very very heavy, and has a real liking to wrapping itself around your bow and/or keel!

One other tip.... a good approximation for the right place for the pole is directly in line with the boom..... and put the pole on so that the guy clips up into the jaws rather than down into the jaws, so that when it is released, the guy can be pulled out easily...

Its well worth the effort.... it makes a massive difference to the boat speed.

Enjoy!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Wear good gloves.

[/ QUOTE ] That was the bit I missed.
We were just out for a picnic and had a 4 mile dead run back to home so thought "why not?"

Other boats were having fun

SouthLake.jpg


Having washed the cabin windows on both sides following 2 energetic gybes (at least the spinnaker was back on the correct side) the next gust was more than I felt up to and so let go all. Actually it was easy to collect after that.

Mrs Lakesailor was not impressed and felt her helming days were over /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My advice is to get a crew who have flown one before, so that no-one gets caught out.
 
Not quite the way I'd do it short-handed.

Assuming no snuffer, pull on the guy with the rest of the spinnaker still in the bag. Can help to pack it to suit before taking it onto the foredeck.

Pull the guy till the clew is at the end of the pole. Lock off the guy, uphaul & downhaul with the pole in a likely position, so you can forget about it for the time being.

Snub the sheet around a winch with enough slack for it not to power up during the hoist. Stand on the tail.

Haul on the halyard and get the spinnaker up as quickly as possible. Lock off the halyard, pick up the sheet and start trimming.
 
I guess it was the dead run that made it awkward. I presume it must be gusty on the lakes too with the hills around.

I've just seen it get messy when both guy & sheet are flapping in the wind and the spinnaker is attached to the masthead.
 
[ QUOTE ]
How big a boat is it?

[/ QUOTE ]
It is 26 foot, long keel, fractional rigged (a SCOD). The sail is symmetrical - we also have a cruising chute which of course is entirely straightforward.
 
You'll just need two lines on the spinnaker then, one to each clew.

I guess you have blocks to lead then through. Tweakers aren't absolutely essential but do help you get the right sail shape and keep control in stronger winds. Also assuming you have some means of attaching a downhaul, you're ready to go.

F3 is ideal for a first go. In very light airs it's hard to fill the spinnaker, and obviously the forces increase as the wind build. Make sure you have lots of sea room to sort out any issues.

You can ease the forces by bearing off, but not onto a dead run, as LakeSailor has already advised.

There are various ways to drop the spinnaker. I prefer easing the pole forward then continuing to ease the guy so that the clews and foot can be bundled together before dropping. Bear off before the drop if sailing tight beforehand in order to ease the forces involved.

A letter box drop, taking down the spinnaker between the boom & the foot of a loose-footed mainsail is a good short-handed technique. It really de-powers the sail very well as it comes down.

Best of luck.
 
My advice is to keep it simple. Snuffers can make dropping easier but take longer to hoist. We had our best results on a 26'er by hoisting from a turtle on the pulpit and making sure the pole is quickly pulled round to catch the wind (with the guy) and the sheet pulled in, which will avoid a twist (as will leaving the jib up). The easiest drop, after bearing off to blanket the spinaker was for someone to stand in the main hatchway and pull the sail straight into the cabin, i.e. under the boom, which gets it out of the way or ready for repacking.
 
[ QUOTE ]

One other tip.... a good approximation for the right place for the pole is directly in line with the boom..... and put the pole on so that the guy clips up into the jaws rather than down into the jaws, so that when it is released, the guy can be pulled out easily...

[/ QUOTE ]

Disagree with that, the pole should be able to fall away from the guy with the jaws opened, otherwise gybing would be impossible.

Other wise pretty much agree with everything else! I'm glad to note my dislike of snuffers is becoming so well known, when I get to hell it will be full of snuffers in massive tangles....
 
lol.......

Maybe i'm used to tidlly little kites where the guy is lifting the pole, rather than pulling it downwards..... typical cruiser eh? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Or maybe its because i've never been able to dip the pole, and always had to end for end....

Anyway..... who in their right mind gybes a kite?.... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Eh? Do you mean the pole is lifting the guy...?

If that's the case, drop the pole! Not good to have the pole potentially higher than the corner of the kite, as that's how you go about stabbing the pole through the spinnaker....

Which is how we did this....

Which ended up with the corner parting company from the rest of the sail.... [image]http://www.flickr.com/photos/leightonian/2832968605/[/image]
 
Must admit im considering trying our spinny this year, never having used one before or really seen one in use, but don’t worry ill post on here first, so your forewarned to stay of the lake on that day. What im wondering is, i can see how you could change the angle of the pole whilst leaving it attached to the mast track to get it past the forstay, but we have a baby stay as well, how would i get the pole past that to gybe? Oh and sorry if im intruding on the OP. Matt
 
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