Gybing an A-Spinn.
There are various ways to gybe an asymmetrical spinnaker depends on on how and where the spinnnaker halyard attaches to the masthead. OUTSIDE GYBE. If the sail is attached to a mashead 'spinnaker crane' or other such 'architecture' that holds the head of the sail 'way out in front' of the top swivel of a genoa furling system, then you are limited to an 'out and around' gybe .... 'everything' (including both spinnaker sheets) must pass in front of the forestay. The 'secret' is to keep wind into the spinnnaker (not or minimally blanketed by the mainsail) so that the sail 'wants' to fly 'ahead' of the forestay when gybing .... instead of forming a huge 'bubble' that is hard to control and if you lose control may 'wrap' around the forestay. You want the spinnaker to be 'flying like a flag' totally in front of the boat 'before' you start pulling in on the 'other' sheet. Bring the mainsail to the centerline BEFORE you begin to release the spinn sheet. Ease the original sheet and let the spinnaker TOTALLY blow out in front of the forestay.... dont get impatient and pull in too fast with the other sheet. As the boat is s-l-o-w-l-y gybed and at the instant that the boom swings over to the other side, then start to pull in on the opposite sheet as you continue to head up from the gybe. You want a good flow of air to keep the spinnaker in FRONT of the forestay. Once the boat is on the other tack, then you can begin to retrim the spinnaker for the new track and then ease out the mainsail. A good way to learn this is to 'partly reef' the spinnaker with the sock .... about halfway down etc. so that the flatter lower sections are still filled; but, the 'rounded' top sections are protected by the sock. Gybing in light winds will/may present a problem, especially if the spinnnaker sheets are tooooooo heavy. You want lightweight sheets and more preferably sheets that have had the 'core' removed in those sections that you dont touch with your hands. INSIDE GYBE. If the spinnaker is attached without a 'spinnaker crane' (ie.: the spinnnaker halyard comes out of the mast at a simple sheeve AND that sheeve is BELOW the forstay attachment .... then you can do an INSIDE gybe (or gybing the spinnaker 'through the foretriangle' formed by the mast and forestay: Bring the main to the centerline, pull IN on the spinnaker sheet as you begin the gybe process; this will pull the cew of the spinn AFT on the original side. The sheets are so arranged such that they also pass bthrough the the foretrangle (not in front of the forestay as in the first method) far as it will come - the foot of the spinnaker is made taught on the side of the 'original' tack. Slowly gybe the boat until the spinnaker becomes backwinded (on the original side), when the boat is well past the 'eye' of the gybe and is on the new tack, pull in on the NEW sheet (to pull it through the foretrangle (this will keep it from tangling onto the forestay), s-l-o-w-ly release the original sheet until the spinnnaker goes *through the foretriangle' and then begin to pull on the new sheet as you continue to pull IN on the 'new' sheet, Once on the new tack, begin to releast the spinn sheet to correctlly trim it. Dont ease of release any spinn sheet until the spinn begins to be fully windloaded and on the 'new' tack. Obvioulsy you need to have rigging that has no sharp edges nor any prominences that can catch or tear the spinnaker. OH horrors .... I now have a bubble in the spinnaker because its wrapped around the forestay .... maybe wrapped around the forestay SEVERAL times. No amount of tugging and pulling on the luff or leech will free it and its totally 'stuck' (the wind is rising and there is a severe thunderstorm on the horizon, etc.) Remedy: apply a 'preventer to the boom and pull the boom FORWARD as far as it will go ... on the same side that the boom was when the bubble first formed. Slowly bring the boat to sail on the LEE (with preventer attached) and the bubble will unwrap all by itself. Watch carefully which way the bubble is unwrapping or wrapping ... and angle the stern so that the right air flow 'unwraps the bubble'. You may have to 'scallop up' several times to unwrap many bubbles .... but by putting/ the boom to the leeward while using a preventer will cause the 'reverse flow of air' that originally caused the bubble ... and the bubble will unwind - all by itself. An 'adverse' flow of wind wrapped the spinnaker around the forestay, now use (control) an adverse wind flow by preventing the boom flying on the lee - to 'unwrap' it. You dont have to fully douse a spinnnaker with a sock to gybe it. Try 'reefing' less and less with a sock as you perfect your technique .... ultimately you will want stop using that sock entirely and loose those two extra line that easily tangle, etc. In any case be SURE that the head of the spinnnaker DOES NOT become jammed/caught/rolled/tangled into the head of the genoa or genoa furler top swivel when you roll/furl the genoa. If you're unsure or dont have a large mast crane that holds the spinnaker AWAY from all the furling gear at the TOP, fully furl the genoa before you fly the spinnnaker .... so you dont have to go up the mast with a knife in your teeth to cut away a jammed furler/tangled spinnaker head. If you dont have one, consider to add a spinnaker mast crane. Hope this helps.
