Spinnaker guys?..

[Oscarpop]

Can someone please explain what these are used for when cruising with a spinnaker ?

I understand the use of sheets as well as an up haul and down haul . However the guys always seem to be redundant .

Cheers

 

[sailorman]

the guy goes to the tack via the ( jockey pole if reaching) pole end & is generally heavier / larger dia, than the sheet

 

[prv]

The guy holds the outer end of the pole aftwards. Without it, the pole would swing round, bang into the forestay, and stay there.

Smaller boats often use the lazy sheet as a guy.

Pete

 

[Spyro]

I think the OP means using sheets and guys, 2 either side. You can gt away with only a sheet and guy on smaller yachts I.e when set up and flying the spinny has 1 sheet and 1 guy. When you gybe the switch places and the guy becomes the sheet.
The set up wih lazy guy and sheet is what I think the OP is referring to. On larger yachts where it is difficult to gybe the pole the lazy guys and sheets are attached before gybing then the ones that were being used become "lazy"
Does this make sense?

 

[TonyBuckley]

This is all such a mystery to me! I have a weekend sail planned for end of July with someone who actually knows what to do with these bags of air. I'm very excited. The spinaker (or whatever similar type thing it is) will come out of the locker for the first time!

 

[sailorman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL3QzQusquE

 

[VicS]

Can someone please explain what these are used for when cruising with a spinnaker ?

I understand the use of sheets as well as an up haul and down haul . However the guys always seem to be redundant .

Cheers

The guy goes through the pole end, the sheet to the clew.

you then have one lazy guy and one lazy sheet

In practice you can manage with just the sheets and no guys

 

[vyv_cox]

In practice you can manage with just the sheets and no guys

You would really struggle to gybe, shorthanded, in a masthead rigged boat of around 35 ft or more. It isn't impossible but would take very good technique and a bit of strength. I wouldn't like to do it although I regularly do so on my own with a twin guy/sheetbsystem.