This past spring I purchased a Doyle APC cruising spinnaker for my Hunter 450. I am enjoying using the sail very much, but believe it or not, with all the years I have sailing, the one thing dogging me is when I take the sail down. Is there a preferred way to "stuff" the sail into it's bag? The sail has the sock on it, and I have tried sticking the head in first, the tack in first and have even tried doubling it over in the middle. Two things I am trying to accomplish: getting the bag managable in order to fit through the forward hatch; and having it in some semblence of order for deployment the next time I fly it. I keep ending up with a squat sail bag that won't go through the hatch. The culprit seems to be the large fiberglass collar on the sock, but it's not the sole problem. This should be easy, but since I single-hand a lot, I'd like to know if there is something simple I am overlooking. Sometimes one can't see the forest for the trees. I know this sounds dumb, but when I'm pitching around on the foredeck with this beast I get just a tad frustrated. Thanks for your attention.
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What I do
On my H260 I open the fwn hatch. I lower the sail in the sock and just feed the sail thru the fwd hatch on top of the V-berth. If I don't plan on using it I bag it below decks and stow it under the fwd v-berth
On my H260 I open the fwn hatch. I lower the sail in the sock and just feed the sail thru the fwd hatch on top of the V-berth. If I don't plan on using it I bag it below decks and stow it under the fwd v-berth
don't bag it..
As John suggested, simply unclip the tack line and sheets then open the hatch and drop it below. I unclip the halyard then hook the sock's head ring to a small lanyard fixed somewhere convenient so I can bring the sail back up on deck without going below. If you must use the bag, you could hook the it in an open position just inside the hatch. Then it would be right there in a neat pile for you to set and retrieve at your convenience. Take your inspiration from the spinnaker "turtle". (That's a sail bag with a wire hoop that keeps it open when the top is opened.)
As John suggested, simply unclip the tack line and sheets then open the hatch and drop it below. I unclip the halyard then hook the sock's head ring to a small lanyard fixed somewhere convenient so I can bring the sail back up on deck without going below. If you must use the bag, you could hook the it in an open position just inside the hatch. Then it would be right there in a neat pile for you to set and retrieve at your convenience. Take your inspiration from the spinnaker "turtle". (That's a sail bag with a wire hoop that keeps it open when the top is opened.)
Packing the APC
T, The goal when packing the APC(inside the ATN Sleeve) into the bag is to have access to the 3 corners of the sail so it is easy to hook up as well as to insure a smooth set. The best way to do this is to grab the sock at a point about 4-5ft up from the throat or bell of the sleeve and shove this point to the bottom of the bag. Be sure to leave the throat outside the top of the bag. After that you flake the rest of the sleeve into the bag, leaving the head at the top. Finally fold the throat onto the top of the flaked sleeve(don't bury the head). This will leave the throat and the top of the sleeve at the top of the bag. When you close the bag the head, tack and clew should be available when you next open it. When you hoist the sleeve it should emerge cleanly out of the bag. Always remember to hook the clip on the side of the bag to a lifeline before you hoist the sail. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
T, The goal when packing the APC(inside the ATN Sleeve) into the bag is to have access to the 3 corners of the sail so it is easy to hook up as well as to insure a smooth set. The best way to do this is to grab the sock at a point about 4-5ft up from the throat or bell of the sleeve and shove this point to the bottom of the bag. Be sure to leave the throat outside the top of the bag. After that you flake the rest of the sleeve into the bag, leaving the head at the top. Finally fold the throat onto the top of the flaked sleeve(don't bury the head). This will leave the throat and the top of the sleeve at the top of the bag. When you close the bag the head, tack and clew should be available when you next open it. When you hoist the sleeve it should emerge cleanly out of the bag. Always remember to hook the clip on the side of the bag to a lifeline before you hoist the sail. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
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