I have a 24' Mac and am new to all this, I have a spinaker but never attempted to try it yet, I hear of people being afraid to fly them, why? What can happen? I've seen a few videos of boats doing nose dives but they were ocean racing with big waves, I'm in small inland lakes and rivers with a blue moon trip to Erie.
Dangers of spinakers
- Thread starter sailnewbie
- Start date
BTW: That is called broaching.
I only started messing around with a spinnaker this past season. But I only fly mine in very light air. In that scenario I see no danger to flying them. I figure I'll get more comfortable with how it behaves the more I use it... for now I'm using it very conservatively. Next time you are out and the water turns to nearly glass... try raising the spinnaker .... get some practice handling it.
Hope to soon, I've flew it a couple times on the trailer just to see how it goes up and down, doesn't seem bad but as you say it's not high winds and I wasn't on the water
Most cruisers have problem when they need to take it down in more wind than it when up in. That's mostly a practice thing. With practice you can take down a kite in ANY breeze. But until then keep a eye on the wind. As you go downwind you do not feel the wind building nearly as much.
Racers will have problems wiping-out in big breeze. This can be a simple round-up (ok), a round-down (bad), or a nose-dive (disaster).
Racers will have problems wiping-out in big breeze. This can be a simple round-up (ok), a round-down (bad), or a nose-dive (disaster).
Man puts em up, God takes em down.
My "confrontations" with symmetrical spinnakers has taught me that crew experience & expertise is very important in handling and controlling them in much air. So, that means practice, practice, practice. Also, reading about the behavior of boats under spinnaker in seas would be helpful. If you learn how to use one, you can treat it like any other sail that can be put up, or taken down, as the need arises.
Is it a symmetrical spinnaker or an asymmetrical spinnaker?
An asym is pretty easy to deal with, because you don't have to futz with the pole. You can always sail a deep angle and blanket the chute with the main so you get an easy hoist or takedown. Or blow the tack line and haul in with the sheet.
Jackdaw posted a video on his First 26 where they got caught by a puff, and the boat started heeling. Normally we are used to heading up to luff the sails and reduce pressure, but in this instance, you turn down and accelerate. Isn't that right, Jackdaw?
Remember asyms aren't dead downwind sails. Just as you tack upwind, you'll have to sail angles and gybe to go downwind. Depending on the cut of your asym, you might be able to get to a beam reach with it. The higher angles are where you might heel and broach with puffs.
I usually play with mine in light wind, because I sail solo most of the time. There was that one time I was out in a fresher breeze than usual, and it was pretty cool the feeling of acceleration as the puffs hit the chute.
An asym is pretty easy to deal with, because you don't have to futz with the pole. You can always sail a deep angle and blanket the chute with the main so you get an easy hoist or takedown. Or blow the tack line and haul in with the sheet.
Jackdaw posted a video on his First 26 where they got caught by a puff, and the boat started heeling. Normally we are used to heading up to luff the sails and reduce pressure, but in this instance, you turn down and accelerate. Isn't that right, Jackdaw?
Remember asyms aren't dead downwind sails. Just as you tack upwind, you'll have to sail angles and gybe to go downwind. Depending on the cut of your asym, you might be able to get to a beam reach with it. The higher angles are where you might heel and broach with puffs.
I usually play with mine in light wind, because I sail solo most of the time. There was that one time I was out in a fresher breeze than usual, and it was pretty cool the feeling of acceleration as the puffs hit the chute.
The main danger of a spinaker is equipment failure: blowing the chute or breaking the mast. Apart from that, looking silly cuz you've got it wrapped around your headstay...
Broaching (getting turned upwind) can result in a knockdown (boom in the water, water coming in the cockpit) which can be dangerous if you're not prepared for it (like harnessed in, hatch closed...) but as you say that mainly happens with Big Waves and Big Wind. Under about 15 knots you should be fine. The problem comes when you're sailing along nicely under the chute and don't notice the wind picking up, and end up in a situation where you're too scared to drop the chute.
druid
Broaching (getting turned upwind) can result in a knockdown (boom in the water, water coming in the cockpit) which can be dangerous if you're not prepared for it (like harnessed in, hatch closed...) but as you say that mainly happens with Big Waves and Big Wind. Under about 15 knots you should be fine. The problem comes when you're sailing along nicely under the chute and don't notice the wind picking up, and end up in a situation where you're too scared to drop the chute.
druid
Also, should appreciate that spinnakers have optimal wind-speed ranges just as jibs and genoas do. If you try to fly a deep, light-air chute in >12-15 kt you could have trouble. Serious racing boats, for example, may have three or more chutes aboard for the range of conditions encountered; I once carried two on a former racing boat. I also remember reading in Force 10 how Ted Turner popped a "chute" in 30 kt!!
Last edited:
Isn't that principally if you wish to keep moving at speed and likely the preferred tactic? But, easing the spinnaker sheet to spill air can also help flatten or slow the boat in a puff.
Yabut when you are 1 of maybe 3 non-racing boats on the lake that will pop a chute, you look like a boss when you're doing it right!
its also the biggest sail on the boat and can be hard to manage. normally I have someone grind on the winch while I fly the kite. you don't normally just handle it without a winch.
The take downs can be exciting. Someone needs to man the halyard, and blowing the sheet, and then the tack, slowly lower the halyard while someone takes the tack into the cabin. (long, light sheets) - the goal is keeping out of the water. (aka 'shrimping' -it gets really heavy.)
3 people are really needed and 4 is better. a spinnaker sock makes life much easier!
I would recommend crewing on a boat that use your type of kite (symmetrical or asymmetrical and learn how they do it.)
The take downs can be exciting. Someone needs to man the halyard, and blowing the sheet, and then the tack, slowly lower the halyard while someone takes the tack into the cabin. (long, light sheets) - the goal is keeping out of the water. (aka 'shrimping' -it gets really heavy.)
3 people are really needed and 4 is better. a spinnaker sock makes life much easier!
I would recommend crewing on a boat that use your type of kite (symmetrical or asymmetrical and learn how they do it.)
This can go a lot better if you're not trying to do it while rounding a leeward mark (or preparing to) or running out of water as on to the beach! If the wind shifts forward, you can turn down (i.e., "get under it") as JD said, then do your take down. Not that easy or straightforward to do while racing, however, b/c you might miss the mark if you drop below the rhumbline.
NO! In excess pressure you OVERTRIM in a puff to flatten the spin and pull it behind the main. Easing will expose a more sail and fuller shape, and almost guarantee a wipe-out.
Also, in a puff the apparent wind goes forward. Turing down helps keep the AWA the same. If you are working downwind this gives much better VMG.
The only time you don't want to turn down tactically is if you are fetching a mark, or need to clear land (like we had in the video).
Maybe so in a strong one, but I've seen (and done) a lot of "easing" to slow a spinnaker boat in a crossing situation while racing where the spin boat has to give way to stb-tack boats driving up wind and doesn't really have much room to come up or go down being confined by the other spin boats nearby.
Well.. Normally a well-trimmed kite will be on the very edge of collapse if eased. Doing what you suggest (easing a trimmed kite) will simply let it collapse and flog.
I think I would have thought of a better tactical option before it got to that point.
True, but there's not much else you can do if some racing newbie on stb-tack, or coming on to one, going up wind decides to cross your line.
Or, some aggressive competitor might do it just to try to throw you off your game for spite.
Last edited:
