asymmetrical spinnaker

[jibline]

Does anyone have feedback on boat spped downwind with an asymmetrical spinnaker? Does the boat get better speed going wing on wing with an asymmetrical spinnaker and the main, or jibing back and forth and heading a little higher into the wind? I would appreciate any feedback on the successes with using the asymmetrical spinnaker downwind.Thank you,Mike Long Beach, CA

 

[Del Wiese]

good question

Planing boats (Melges 24) gybe downwind maintaining 90 deg. apparent wind. For non planing boats I think the determinant is wind speed. In light airs, less than about 10 knots, I belive there is a gain in tacking down wind, keeping apparant wind about 90 degrees. For winds greater than about 15 knots, wing on wing may be better. In between I don't have good answers. I race with both an asymetrical and symetrical and somehow decide on the situation, amount of crew on board being a decisive issue, which to fly. One thing for sure, with 90 deg. apparent wind, the asymtrical works well for us, except for one Ft. Lauderdale to Key West race when the symetricals left us bad. Still trying to figure that one out!

 

[Jim]

Wing on wing

I've never seen anyone fly an assy wing on wing. They can be poled back (with a spin pole attached to the tack) to project more to windward for running which is sometimes beneficial on a displacement boat, but it requires a different setup and gybe than a sym spin. There is a good article in this month's Sailing World on sailing with assymetricals.

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

WOW is dangerous

The very nature of assymetrical spin is to be off the wind. Here's a bowsprit that will help preclude the main from blanketing the spin, giving more speed and fuller volume. Here’s an easy-to-make bowsprit, seats in the anchor locker.Tack line and 2 sheets permanently deployed for quick setup.(Note that the link here has 2 pages of pix and directions.)