Rigging Cruising Spinnaker (26M)

[rickjnav]

I tried using my brand new Doyle cruising spinnaker today...ran into a snag. I've been using my jib halyard as a topping lift for the boom since it wasn't needed for my furling jib. To use it to raise the spinnaker I discovered that I would have to get the end of the halyard back over the spreaders, and that proved to be an impossibility while out on the water. Even in very light wind I also discovered that handling that big a sail on the foredeck could be tricky, and that if there were any real wind I'd need some way to control it before hoisting it, not to mention figuring out how to retreive it when "doused". It was obviously time to check out this board and get some advice.

Yes, the topic has been covered before...there was even a link to a Doyle website that (I foolishly thought) would explain it all in simple terms. What I found was a bunch of gobbldy gook written by experts for experts that left me more puzzled than I was to begin with. The Doyle page starts off with two diagrams that make absolutely no sense to me (photos would have been a heck of a lot more useful), then continues:

"Tackline (Supplied with the APC).: Lead the tackline through a snap block attached to the stem-head and back to the bow cleat. Many APC owners are attaching the tackline to the bow anchor roller if they have one. This is very effective because the bow roller is a few inches outside of the pulpit and keeps the sail free from the pulpit. Before attaching the tack to the anchor roller, make sure that the roller is reinforced enough to take the load of the tackline.

Tackline? I thought the line was for use as spinnaker sheets and so cut it half and attached each half to the two sail clews.

Snap block? What's that?

Stem-head? What is that and where is it located?

Reinforced? How exactly? How much is "enough".

Nowhere (not on the Doyle page, or in any of the other discussion pages I looked at) did I find any helpful information for a novice on how to rig and raise the spinnaker, or the best way to retrieve it once your downwind run is over and it's time to head back into wind.

If there is anyone out there who can explain this in terms I can understand I would be much indebted. Thanks in advance.

Rick J.

[Catigale]

Singlehanding a spin is tough and not the way to start. If you have help at the helm the best trick Ive learned (from Scott I think) is to steer onto a beam reach, haul the sheet in tight , uncleat the halyard, and stretch the spin on the leeward side of the boat, then go forward and just haul it down. Once you gather all of the upper part of the spin on deck, the helm releases the sheet and you pull the rest of it in and stuff it in the bag.

Put stoppers in your halyard and sheet so that you can just tell the help to blow the halyard or sheet and not worry about it getting loose.

[parrothead]

Rick,

Try checking out the directions at this site http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourse ... nnaker.htm
Among other things, there's a good illustration of a tack line [the tack on the Doyle asym spinnaker is at the base of the luff - identified by the red line].
If you will be using the standard jib halyard, follow the directions for "using the Genoa halyard".

If you have cut the spinnaker sheet in two, you'll need to attach both halves to the same point [the clew].

[beene]

Hi Rick

Why don't you take a day off and come up to Barrie. I will take you sailing, show you how I have my spin set up, even treat you to a BBQ out on the water.

I will take a stab at your questions.....

Tackline? I thought the line was for use as spinnaker sheets and so cut it half and attached each half to the two sail clews.

OK, the spin has 3 main points of interest, the tack, clew, and head. When they say tackline, I believe they mean a line attaching the tack (the bottom) of the spin to the boat. Sometimes it is preferable to have the spin higher up in the air than right at the point where you would normally attach the tack of a head sail, like a jib or genny. Thus you would use a line to allow that to happen. I do this then the wind is not too light just to get the kite higher in the air, away from the friction of the water.

Snap block? What's that?

Well, a block as you probably know is just a pulley, so a snap block I would guess is just a pulley that you can open up to run a line through quickly, as opposed to inserting the end of the rope and pulling it through. I use a snap shackle to attach the tack of my spin to the stem head (the point at the front of your boat where the jib/genny/fore stay attach to).

Stem-head? What is that and where is it located?

Covered that...

Reinforced? How exactly? How much is "enough".

They just don't want you to attach the tack of a sail to something on the bow of your boat that is not meant to take the force of a sail pulling on it. They refer to folks using the sides of their anchor roller as a tack point. Probably not designed to take that kind of force as it was designed to take a downward force as you let out and haul in the anchor, not upward forces of a sail.

I hope this helps. I am no pro, but I have sailed my spin many times nil probs and now use a chute scoop to aid in its use.

Send me a PM if you want more info or pics.

I am probably 1.5 hour drive from your place. I used to live in Battawa, very near to your neck of the woods.

Cheers

G

[eric3a]

..

[rickjnav]

Thanks to everyone for their most welcome advice. The web page reference you provided (parrothead) was exactly what I needed to see, and beene, thanks for the invite. We have relatives up in Bracebridge, so if we should be going that way in the next two or three weeks I'll be sure to see if we can include a visit with you.

My downfall had been thinking that the spinnaker floated symetrically on either side of the forestay, secured at the bottom only by the sheets, so no wonder nothing made sense to me. The caption in the Mac brochure that suggests that no "extra hardware is required to use this sail" is a wee bit misleading (though not quite so farfetched as the other caption claiming that, "One person can raise the mast, launch the boat and sail away in 10 to 15 minutes." Roger's clock must be calibrated in what I call 'Gail minutes').

Anyway, thanks again for the great advice, it will be a great help.

Rick

[eric3a]

..

[Catigale]

Ive blown up the Hudson on a fresh southerly breeze with the spin flying on the two sheets and the jib halyard...it was so much fun and 30 minutes at hull speed I didnt even mind the disaster taking it down at then end.

It dried in about 30 minutes on the front yard..

[nchogberg]

Uhh, I have been attaching the spin to the cleats up front. Is it going to pull those out? I have a furling 150 that takes up the regular attach point.

[beene]

just keep using them and let us know...lol

All kidding aside, I would not use those cleats.

G

[Jack Sparrow]

One day in light winds and the wind directly behind me I flew the kite like a symmetrical spinnaker just to see what would happen. I attached a spare rope to the tack and ran it off the port winch when we first flew it it oscillated in a clockwise direction after biasing the sheets slightly to the starboard the oscillations stopped after observing it for a while I worked out that a spinnaker pole would be required it tendered to collapse in the light conditions.

Jack Sparrow