Spinnaker plus mainsail

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GeorgeTina

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I have seen many photo's showing a spinnaker being flown with the mainsail also set. It appears the mainsail is blanking at least part of the spinnaker. I used my spinnaker for the first time last summer without the mainsail up. In light winds it "flew" well. I had no trouble keeping it "full". Am I missing something ?? or should I have the mainsail up. By the way I use a "snuffer" so dropping the spinnaker was no problem. In stronger winds would I use the mainsail to blank the spinnaker when setting or unsetting it ??. All advice welcome.
 
It's standard practice to hoist the spinaker with both head and mainsail set. Then you drop the headsail and sail with spinnaker and main. When the time comes to drop the spinnaker you do it behind the mainsail (normally). Like that you can sail quite high. Sailing dead downwind is slow. Better to tack downwind. Trimming the main is important. More kicker to stop rolling.
 
I agree. Furthermore, the original question post misses the fact that the kite isn't just a balloon that fills with air and pulls the boat downwind. The spinnaker works best when it has air flowing across it.

By the way, why WOULDN'T you want to use the mainsail going downwind? If the wind is too strong for the main and spinnaker, I am not sure that flying just a spinnaker is the best option. Furthermore as Nico says, you use the main (and headsail if you raise it/unfurl it) to 'hide' the spinnaker when getting it down.
 
Spi's are terrifyingly powerful when abused! But then so is the internal combustion engine! I can't find a link to something like North U's course, but learning from video helps a ton. Basically the spi is a triangular aerofoil like any other sail, but it looks a little funny! Don't discriminate- treat it the same as any other triangular sail- all the pole is for is to move the tack, and hence the luff, up to weather into clearer air. The upshot of my verbage is this: The kite wants to work like a foil; let it do its work and make it foil- move the pole/tack as far to windward as possible.
If you can trim a main, then a kite's almost as easy- put the kite up in the snuffer, and open her gently in the windshadow of the main. Once the kite's up and full, just shove the pole aft so it is on the same line as the boom, and take it from there. Just don't shove the pole back UNTIL the kite's up!
As I said about kites being powerful- I wasn't joking! Careful how you treat her, else she'll milk you and run off with your house and car if you don't keep an eye on her! If the spi gets stroppy, ease the pole fwd a smidgen at a time till she trims like a lady, and when it's time to take her down, the shadow behind the main's the only place to blanket the kite, and there you'll find the snuffer almost falls down. Well, almost!
FWIW, if you're playing with your kite, you're just about to break into one of the most exciting and privy parts of sailing: the Mofte Secrytte Crafte and Magick of going FAST! Good luck!
 
No you don't need to have the main up.
Cruising, kite on its own is fine, sailing downwind with most rigs on long passages leads to chafing of the main on spreaders, especially if you have full battens. With a snuffer dropping shouldn't be a problem. I single handed a 40' using snuffer and kite with no main many times.

Trade wind routes we never used the main as we were either two headsails or spinnaker, main was only used when the wind was further than about 30 degrees off dead astern.

Racing... for every ounce of speed then main is always set so that you can head up onto a reach or round a mark and be set for upwind.

Most yachts with symetric kites and older non planing hull shape will have best -ve vmg when dead downwind, its only when you really start to accelerate when on a broad reach that downwind tacking pays. Thats my experience from Half tonners, skiffs and asymetrics definately tack as they will start to plane when broad reaching, apparent wind comes forward and you bear away further.
 
I think there are cases when it makes sense to fly just the spinnaker: on a dead or near dead run in moderate winds when you have the prospect of a long down wind leg.

Sure, hoist and recover with the main and genoa up but them roll up the genoa and drop the main (this actually might not be possible depending on wind strength, and the configuration of your rig).

If you can do it, the advantages are:

The main boom doesn't need a preventer and the danger of an accidentala gybe is removed.
The boat will be easier on the helm if the sea is high and less likely to broach.
The spinnaker will be less critical to trim and more stable.
The main will not be suffering chafe on crosstrees etc.
Speed will only be marginally affected because the spinnaker will be working harder.
Tacking down wind is not really effectrive for most cruising boats - you need a lightweight multihull or high performance mononhull to make it worthwhile.
 
James has the right idea! I used to sail main-less most downwind passages, and as soon as the wind gets up, two jibs is really the nicest way to cruise! You don't even need a siamese twin jib- your old standard roller-furler with another jib set loose-luffed and the furler poled with a whisker-pole or spi-pole is lovely! Striking the rig if it gets breezy is easy too: gybe the loose-luffed jib into the r/f and dragging the tame sail off the r/f even easier than striking a snuffed chute!
 
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I have seen many photo's showing a spinnaker being flown with the mainsail also set. It appears the mainsail is blanking at least part of the spinnaker.

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If the main is blanketing the kite, then the pole is not squared back enough. Don't forget that with a 150% genoa that most cruising boats come equipped with, a lot of the time a large part of the sail is blanketed, but of course that's not how the sail is working and it's the same with the kite.

I have always found the practice by cruising boats of flying cruising chutes without the main to be a bit odd. There are really good reasons for keeping the main up. First off with a main up you always have a lee available if anything goes wrong.
Then as other posters have suggested the kite is not really working as well as it could without a slot.
Then the biggie from a cruising context. In the event of a MOB, without a main up you are relying on snuffing your kite and starting your engine for a prompt recovery. And the law relating to sod says that's exactly when the kite sheet will be under the boat misbehaving with your prop.
Whereas with a main up there are a number of techniques to get you back alongside promptly.
 
I agree with Flaming. He is right!

Always have your main set when flying a kite. If you need to make a sudden and drastic change in course (MOB, collision avoidance etc) then you can make the change as soon as the kite is de-powered by trimming the main. It's not always possible to start the engine in such cases as the likelyhood that someone has left a guy trailing in the water in the panic is high. It happens. I've seen it that many times that it's the only way we'll teach it now.

That's apart from the improved balance, better speed etc that everyone else is quite right about.

Maybe consider going out with someone experienced in kite flying or booking a few days with a school.

Good luck, Rob
 
There was a photo in YM in the 70s I think, of a Hustler 25 racing under spinnaker with only about three feet of main hoisted, apparently to comply with racing rules disallowing the carrying of a spinnaker without a main. I don't know if such a rule is still current.
 
It's a free world so do as you wish. We often sail downwind with either just the genoa or just the spinnaker.
Blanketing the spinny when you have a snuffer is a bit unnecessary and personally - I furl the genoa before hoisting the spinnaker. I seem to get in less of a tangle, we are not racing and when short-handed the less sail flying at these moments, the less of a tangle can be created.
 
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when short-handed the less sail flying at these moments, the less of a tangle can be created.

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Not actually true, when hoisting/unsnuffing the genoa being unfurled stops the kite wrapping itself round the forestay in a pretty major way if you make a mess of it.
 
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