Singlehanded Spinnaker

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Had a great day out on the boat today. A few days before our new baby arrived a couple weeks ago, I got a new Spinnaker and EZ cleats (thanks Bill!). I took the morning off and got out today to try it out. I was hoping to recruit some crew to help out but it just didn't work out so I decided, what the heck, I'm a single hander even when there are 6 people on the boat, so why should it be any different for a chute.

I consider my autopilot to be pretty essential equipment for singlehanding a flying sail. I ran the sheets outside of the forestay and launched it out of the front hatch...thought it might get twisted, but it went up perfectly the first time. I used a tack pendant to fly it about 1.5 feet above the bow pulpit. Seemed to be a good height. Considering that it was a fairly light wind day (7-9 mph wind during the morning), I was doing pretty well running at about 5-6 mph, only 2-3 mph less than the wind. This was when I was sailing by the lee, or basically, a wing on wing configuration with the mainsail out towards windward. Once I came too far over and the main gybed to the same side as the spin. This lost a good 1.5 mph of speed and caused the spin to be blanketted and difficult to control. So, I then decided to try my first gybe and of course, it got wrapped on the headstay. But I didn't panic and do anything stupid, I just went back to the previous tack and it rolled itself free of the furler. Then I tried it again and this time, I let the active sheet further out before gybing. This made sure that the leech of the spin was further forward in relation to the headstay when I started the gybe. This time it worked well and the sail gybed between its luff and the headstay. By this time though, my sleigh ride was running short of land as I had chewed up 3-4 miles and was getting close to the shallow waters before Safety harbor. Decided it wouldn't be a good thing to try my first takedown too close to a lee shore.

My spin halyard is extra long so it can run from the rope clutch inside the cabin up to the front hatch where I pulled the sail down by grabbing the tack. I just barely touched the tip of the foot in the water but it wasn't wet by the time I got home. Overall, it was a lot of fun and a successful first time out. Next challenge will be to train the kids to do the deployment and take down.

[Catigale]

Sounds like anice spin day Dimitri - and congrats to the Admiral and you on the new one, I think I missed the announcement if you posted it before!

[Tripp Gal]

Glad you had a good day sailing with the chute.

it's a little shared secret when it comes to asyms, that you litterally blow the loaded sheet as the helm is turning down, then take the lazy sheet and pull like a you-know-what to clear the forestay and the helm is turning through DDW.

You did right when it fouled, by turning back it clears the mistake and allows you to avoid an "inside" gybe or an hourglass. A few more weekends and you will look like a pro.

S.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Thanks Steve. I never actually posted an announcement, but as you can see from his hospital photo, the admiral did go with a sailing theme!



He was born June 30, 8lbs, 20.5 inches. I think he will definitely like sailing when he gets old enough. If it wasn't so hot and humid this time of year, I'd take him out in the boat in a couple weeks but I'll more likely wait until the weather improves in the fall. My oldest was born in March and we had her out in our O'day in April. At that age, they just sleep in the cabin due to the boat motion, etc. When they get a bit older, we strap the carseat into the cockpit so they can see better.

TG, thanks for the tips. I've seen the hourglass happen when crewing on racing boats. We ended up having to drop the halyard to get it unfouled if I recall...despite lots of other time wasting attempts. My racing experience has always been with a symmetrical. I notice that not many of the older sailing books have much in there on asym's. As far as blowing the active sheet all the way, would that make the clew gybe forward of the luff? By my 1 trial and error attempt, I did figure out that I had to let it further out to clear the forestay but I guess I haven't quite figured out the difference of how to gybe it between the stay and luff or forward of both the stay and the luff. Which technique do you think is better for a cruising chute?

I guess the third way to gybe it is by running the sheets in the foretriangle like you would a Genoa. but I figured it would get tangled up in my genny sheets (of which I have 4) which I didn't feel like removing. For that matter, I've left my spin sheets on there now too since they are in front of the furler and should not interfere with the other 4 sheets.

I think I may go out and try again today. A Westerly sea breeze is picking up. My plan will be to haul the kids across to the West side of the bay on tubes (today I may try pulling two at a time - try doing that on a J boat)...then fill the ballast and fly the chute all the way home to the East. Today I don't have a main sail since I left it at a loft to get a repair made, so my sailing will be limited to downwind only.

[delevi]

CONGRATS Dimitri!

[Tripp Gal]

There are two ways to gybe an asym, inside and outside.

Inside gybes bring the clew between the forestay and the luff of the asym. it's great if you have a sprit. Not great if you have a deck tacked spinnaker.

Outside gybes have the sheets pull the clew of the sail outside of the forestay AND the luff of the sail.

There are a few cruising chutes that gybe just like a jib, but those are for mainly for those who do not have a spin halyard above their forestay.

Sorry for the late reply, just got back from race week.

[Scott]

There are a few cruising chutes that gybe just like a jib, but those are for mainly for those who do not have a spin halyard above their forestay.

Not to question your knowledge Tripp but on a mac with the block mounted at the hounds a mac a-sym can be inside gybed quite handily.

That is how I flew mine for the last 6 years untilwe mounted a dedicated block alittle higher this year.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Scott, I don't think TG means that an inside gybe is done in the foretriangle (like a jib or genoa). I believe that both inside and outside gybes she is referring to are done with the sheets outside of the forestay. To gybe inside the foretriangle, you would have to run your sheets inside of the forestay (like a jib or genoa). Perhaps this is the way you did it for 6 years? Actually, I did look at some of your old posts when I was trying to figure out how to use it and it did seem like you changed techniques in your more recent posts (which was one of the reasons that I only tried it with the sheets outside of the forestay).

I have the stock jib block at the hounds where it actually interferes slightly with the furler, but is still usable (probably why my old halyard got chafed). I was able to do an inside gybe without a sprit, but I also was flying the tack a few feet off the deck which makes for a much rounder luff and made enough room for the clew to go through the slot between forestay and luff. Next time I fly it, I'll have to try the outside variety, where I presume you totally blow the active sheet to get the clew forward of the luff before turning through the wind. Seems like if you do that though, the sheets end up outside of the sail. Probably better to have the tack closer to the deck for an outside gybe, which seems like it would make for a straighter luff (better for reaching). Last time I had it out, I was on more of a reach and it seems you can reach easier with an asym versus a sym. Maybe a good Mac config is having the standard jib on the furler for beating up wind and reaching in heavy winds, and then use the spinnaker for reaching in lighter winds instead of the genoa.

Btw, besides size, is there a difference in the cut of a cruising asym versus a racing asym?

[Scott]

Dimitri, you are correct and incorrect.

Not to put words in Tripps mouth but when she refered to an inside gybe you are correct, The sheets are in front of the forestay and behind the tack. The big diffis that the Spin is flown from a sprit.

On a Mac an inside gybe can be done with the spin handled exactly like a jib. I did change to outside gybe this year but only due to the chute scoop I now use. I actually prefer the inside gybe now that I have some experience with the sock.

[BK]

Tripp Gal, I was looking at getting a used genoa at Minny's used boat equipment here in Costa Mesa and he is grouping all his headsails into a group called bloopers. I asked a sales person what is that and she said it is done by what size sail you want which I have no idea of the genoa measurements for my X. Have you heard of a blooper before? Is it a special head sail or just another word for large headsail?

[Tripp Gal]

Inside gybes are where the sheets are run between the luff of the chute (where the tackline and the halyard attach to the sail) and the forestay. So it seems like we agree on technique.

There are some types of gennaker/spinnaker combinations that basically are hoisted by the jib halyard, attached at the jib tack point, and gybed with the sheets just like you do a jib.

OMG, Bloopers. I haven't sailed one of those in years. A blooper was a special sail that drove us all nuts in the 70's and 80's of the IOR measurement rule. Back then the blooper was introduced to not only present more sail area downwind, but to stabilize the boats. IOR boats have pinched rears and as such are quite squirrly downwind, add a whomping spinnaker to the squirrly hull design and that's where death rolls and chinese gybes became the norm. To counteract the load distribution of all that sail (and the rolling), sailmakers created the blooper. The blooper was a small, narrow width sail flown in tandem with the spinnaker and trimmed using the halyard while sailing dead downwind. Yep some poor bloke was sentenced to easing and grinding up the halyard (usually wire and a non-tailing halyard) to keep the blooper flying. It is not a spinnaker, it is not a gennaker, it is a very specific sail type and cut. I don't think I would recommend one for the Mac.

[Catigale]

Thanks Tripp....appreciate the depth of knowledge you bring to this Board

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

... when she refered to an inside gybe you are correct, The sheets are in front of the forestay and behind the tack. The big diffis that the Spin is flown from a sprit.

On a Mac an inside gybe can be done with the spin handled exactly like a jib.

I'm assuming by "exactly like a jib", you mean with the sheets behind the forestay so your post is confusing me. Are you saying that an "inside gybe" has a different definition on a Mac than on other boats?

I was able to do an inside gybe without a sprit btw.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

There are some types of gennaker/spinnaker combinations that basically are hoisted by the jib halyard, attached at the jib tack point, and gybed with the sheets just like you do a jib.

I hoisted mine by the jib halyard because I figure it is not a good idea to fly the spinnaker from the main halyard on a frac rigged boat since there is not good mast support way up top, as well as the fact that the main halyard faces aft. I suppose the right way to do it is like Scott has done and put a dedicated spinnaker halyard just a little bit higher than the jib halyard but not high enough to cause big load issues on the tip of the mast.

[Tripp Gal]

I'm assuming by "exactly like a jib", you mean with the sheets behind the forestay so your post is confusing me. Are you saying that an "inside gybe" has a different definition on a Mac than on other boats?

I was able to do an inside gybe without a sprit btw.

Yes, Inside gybe has a very different definition that "exactly like a jib".

Inside and outside gybes when sailing with an asym have everything to do with how the spin sheets and clew are routed with reference to the luff of the chute. Inside means between the forestay and luff, outside means outside the forestay AND the luff.

Sorry about the confusion.