Wire to wire win
- Thread starter Jackdaw
- Start date
There are doing leeward douses, but the wind is still WAY behind them as they approach the mark. By the time they head up the kite is gone.
Leeward douses are easier than windward ones, but you have to repack the kite every time, and re-run the spin gear. With a good windward douse, you simply throw the kite down the hatch with everything still attached, and when you are ready to hoist again on the next lap, you pull it right back up! If it comes down OK, it will go back up OK as well. Much easier on a shorthanded crew. Only tricky bit is you have to take the pole down first, which means flying the kite for awhile without the pole.
You can see what I mean how a windward douse makes the next hoist so much easier. Instead of re-packing the kite in the bag and re-running the spin gear from starboard back to port, we simply put the pole up and pull the kite right out of the hatch!
Most of the fast boats I raced in the past (1980s & 90s) did not have furling , so you were always repacking/ refolding sails. Spinnaker was sent below to be cleared end to end, re-banded and then bagged for the next set. Banded spinnaker sausage could be hoisted in advance and then popped once the jib was dropped. If we were going to go back with the same jib, we would often fold, and sail tie it to the rail for the next set.
Furling does not matter, what side of the boat you drop the kite is the only factor. If you drop the spin on port, it can go right back up on port on your next bear away set. Drop it on starboard, then you are re-packing the kite 100% of the time, and running the spin gear back around that boat.
We would do the exact same thing with a hank on sail.