SPINNAKER- NEED ADVICE ON HOW BEST TO FLY IT

Re: SPINNAKER- NEED ADVICE

In windy conditions, and waves to match, you have to work the helm to try to make sure the waves dont push the stern around, promoting the rolls. Sometimes they will happen and provided they dont build up you can live with them.

You also want to keep the weight back. On a 24 footer, I often have people sitting aft of the helm both sides of the cockpit with only one person allowed forward.

Start with the spinnaker in less wind to get the feel . Choose a day with a potential sea breeze, and before you know it you will still have the kite up in 20 knots plus...

Make sure your sheets and guys are quite long , but only let go one of them if it all gets too much. Letting go both can result in the spinnaker refilling miles out from the boat and not in control.
If they arent long enough make sure you either dont have stopper knots in the sheets and guys or have slip knots or knife nearby...

Letting the guy run lets the spinnaker flap behind the main and makes it easier to recover if you want to drop.
Letting the sheet run allows you to have another go with the spinnaker , although it may fill suddenly.
 
My old skipper used to say the secret of sailing under a kite in a rolling sea was "steer the boat to keep it under the masthead". That usually worked.

If it all gets to much, dump a load of sheet, but never dump the guy, otherwise you'll having the sail filling many feet to leeward, and the pole bashing seven bells out of the forestay.
 
Re: SPINNAKER ADVICE

Have just found a paperback gathering dust: " Spinnaker Handling" publ Adlard Coles.
Any interest to anyone?
 
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"steer the boat to keep it under the masthead".

??

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In other words if you heel to windward head up, if you heel to leward bear away.
Although maybe not completely flat, about 5 degrees leward heel is about right.
 
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"steer the boat to keep it under the masthead".

??

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Same advice as I received over 25 years ago.
If the masthead rolls to starboard, turn the boat to starboard. If it rolls to port, turn to port. It is quite a good visualisation method for an inexperienced helm to use to keep a sense of perspective on what is happening around them once rolling starts. The key is a combination of not over reacting and anticipating the direction of a roll.
As ever, practice, practice practice.

Older slender hull shapes and keel hung rudders are much worse than the new fat-bummed light displacement designs.

It used to be great to see an inexperienced helm once the rolling starts, getting worse and then seeing the main boom touch the water on one side followed by the spi pole end on the other side. The only question was the direction of the broach.
 
A good helmsman can give a flick of the helm at just the right time to get the boat under the spinnaker and kill the rolling. It's impressive to see and you don't even end up changing course.
 
flaming said:
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All in all, better to get your practice in in light, stable conditions

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Agree with that, but the trimming requirements of a kite in strong winds are very different from light winds. And only ever using it in light winds, then throwing it up in stronger stuff without considering what needs to be done differently, is an easy way to scare yourself.
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On a typical modern cruiser, lightly crewed, what sort of true wind speed would you use as a guide limit when not to risk the spinny?
 
jason -and the arguenauts said:
On a typical modern cruiser, lightly crewed, what sort of true wind speed would you use as a guide limit when not to risk the spinny?
Click to expand...

So, er, again....

It depends! This time mainly on how heavy a cloth your sailmaker used when he built it, and the skill level of the "light crew".

When double handed racing we're happy flying the chicken chute in 25 knots, but then we've been doing it for a while, and could probably be described as a little bit more gung ho than the average cruising crew.
I also doubt you could damage that kite without using a sword.
 
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