I have a large spiniker Sail on my Hunter legend 37. How do I deploy it. Any instructions are very appreciated.Some pictures would help. Thanks, Barrie
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Miles
Setting is relatively easy...
it's getting it down and neatly in the turtle bag that's the hard part. I'd highly recommend a dousing sleeve (see link below). I have the ATN Sleeve and it works great. You'll need a spinnaker halyard, at least one sheet, one tack line, and blocks. If you have a symetric 'chute a spinnaker pole might come in handy but you don't really need one. Hoist the spinnaker in the sock, attach the sheet and tack line, and pull up the sock. Be sure the sheet is led outboard of everything and as far aft as possible. Double check that everything is led properly so the sail can fly free ahead of the boat, you don't want it getting stuck on spreaders, shrouds, lifelines, jib sheets, etc. When you're done pull the sock back down over the sail and lower it. Without a sock you'll be up on the foredeck wrestling around with a very big, very slippery sail when it's time to take it down, yuck. With a sock it's a lot of fun especially in light air!
it's getting it down and neatly in the turtle bag that's the hard part. I'd highly recommend a dousing sleeve (see link below). I have the ATN Sleeve and it works great. You'll need a spinnaker halyard, at least one sheet, one tack line, and blocks. If you have a symetric 'chute a spinnaker pole might come in handy but you don't really need one. Hoist the spinnaker in the sock, attach the sheet and tack line, and pull up the sock. Be sure the sheet is led outboard of everything and as far aft as possible. Double check that everything is led properly so the sail can fly free ahead of the boat, you don't want it getting stuck on spreaders, shrouds, lifelines, jib sheets, etc. When you're done pull the sock back down over the sail and lower it. Without a sock you'll be up on the foredeck wrestling around with a very big, very slippery sail when it's time to take it down, yuck. With a sock it's a lot of fun especially in light air!
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Rob Rich
Barrie, go out with a racer...
I don't have a spiniker on my boat, but I raced on a J-24 for a couple seasons, and spinikers can be lots of fun. My advice to you is to invite a racer out on the boat with you - he/she will be able to show you not only how to do it, but any peculiarities applicable to your Hunter. Deploying the "chute" is easy if you do it fast. It is spinnaker management that is the tougher part. You will most likely need to jibe it from time to time, which involves moving the spinaker pole from one side of the boat to the other after you re-attach the clew and tack grommets. There is a lot of stuff you will need to do that will only make sense if you see it done (especially rigging the pole) in person, so I won't go into too much more detail. Also, I find a crew of at least two (in addition to myself) is a minimum to fly it safely in higher winds. Best of Luck! Rob
I don't have a spiniker on my boat, but I raced on a J-24 for a couple seasons, and spinikers can be lots of fun. My advice to you is to invite a racer out on the boat with you - he/she will be able to show you not only how to do it, but any peculiarities applicable to your Hunter. Deploying the "chute" is easy if you do it fast. It is spinnaker management that is the tougher part. You will most likely need to jibe it from time to time, which involves moving the spinaker pole from one side of the boat to the other after you re-attach the clew and tack grommets. There is a lot of stuff you will need to do that will only make sense if you see it done (especially rigging the pole) in person, so I won't go into too much more detail. Also, I find a crew of at least two (in addition to myself) is a minimum to fly it safely in higher winds. Best of Luck! Rob
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Richard Owen
Flying a Spinnaker
Barrie; You have 2 options: 1. find an experienced person to show you how to do it, or 2. Try it yourself in light winds. You definitely DONT want to try it for the first time in strong winds. In fact it takes a reasonable amount of practice to fly a spinnaker in strong winds at all. Plan on a minimum of three people and they all should be into it - none of those helping to fly it can be spectators and it really helps if they all understand how it works. I speak from experience - many broaches with spinnakers . Roughly, the drill is like this: (assuming that the sail is in a bag, without a douser) 1. Get all the rigging ready (halyard attached to the head of the sail, sheets (guys) attached to the other 2 corners, pole set on the windward side of the boat, pole uphaul and downhaul attached to the pole, windward sheet (guy) led through the end of the pole. 2. Adjust the pole to a level position using the uphaul and downhaul. 3. Haul her up, watching closely to see that she unravels without a twist (called hourglassing). the guys will have to pulled in at this time as well, especially the windward one. The haul up is probably best done with the spinnaker turtle at the bow, although we have launched the spinnaker from inside the cabin on occasion, running the sail up the back side of the main so that it will not take on any wind until the head of the sail is at full height. 4. After the sail is full, adjust the sheets. Don't worry, you will know when it's full. If you have your main adjusted correctly to the wind, the spinnaker pole will usually be in line with the boom when set correctly. This angle is adjusted by pulling in (or letting out)the windward sheet (called a guy on a spinnaker). You must also adjust the uphaul and/or downhaul when you re-position the pole because they may prevent it from moving if they are too tight. after there is wind in the sail, the downhaul will be most important since it prevents the pole from riding up 5. Most adjustment after the sail is full and the pole is set in the right position will be done with the leeward guy as long as you don't change the boat's angle to the apparent wind. The lower windward corner of the sail should be right at the pole, and the head should be all the way up, touching the mast. The other corner will be flying free. Sheet the leeward guy in until you are sure that the sail is full - no flogging, no backwinding, then let it out until you see a small curl on the luff of the sail, and play the leeward guy in and out continually looking for that curl yet not letting it turn into a backwinded sail. When you adjust the course of the boat, you must also adjust the pole angle and the sheets. When it's time to get it down, be sure to let the pole off and steer the boat so that the main blankets the sail. You do this by letting go of the windward guy, but not so far that the sail can't be reached from the deck. If it's too far away, sheet in the leeward guy with the windward one still off so that it doesn't fill with wind again. You will need someone up there hauling it in or else it will end up in the water. Packing the sail into the bag correctly is critical, just like a parachute, to avoid hourglassing when hoisting. Separate the 3 corners and stuff the bulk of the sail in first with the center back of the sail in the bottom of the bag. Leave the 3 corners on the top so that you can hook them on next time. Getting the three corners mixed up at the top of the bag makes for some really interesting hoists. Mark the three corners well so that you know which goes where (they are usually color coded, so that helps a lot). Gybing means that mainly that the pole must be moved to the new windward side of the boat and therefore detached and re-attached from the appropriate guy. This can be difficult although it need not be if all on the team are watching and working together. The trick is to steer the boat and adjust the lines so that the person on the bow can reach everything at the right time. What can happens is that the pole gets detached and the wind takes both sheets away from the boat. This becomes difficult. On most boats the end of the pole at the mast gets moved to the new windward sheet and the other end goes onto the mast. The helper in the cockpit who is controlling the guys must ease pressure on these lines adequately to allow the pole to be moved. In big winds, these forces are great and it can get tough to do. using the main as a blanket can help. On the boats I have sailed, the pole comes off the mast first, then gets attached to the new guy so that at some point both ends are attached to the guys (for as short a time as possible) Then the end gets detached from the old guy and put onto the mast. Adjust all the lines, and away you go an the new tack. Oh yeah, of course you had to also gybe the main in there somewhere as well. This happens at the same time as when the pole comes across to the new position. There you go - hope it helps. It will all be a lot easier if you can find someone who has done this before to go with you a few times. ROwen
Barrie; You have 2 options: 1. find an experienced person to show you how to do it, or 2. Try it yourself in light winds. You definitely DONT want to try it for the first time in strong winds. In fact it takes a reasonable amount of practice to fly a spinnaker in strong winds at all. Plan on a minimum of three people and they all should be into it - none of those helping to fly it can be spectators and it really helps if they all understand how it works. I speak from experience - many broaches with spinnakers . Roughly, the drill is like this: (assuming that the sail is in a bag, without a douser) 1. Get all the rigging ready (halyard attached to the head of the sail, sheets (guys) attached to the other 2 corners, pole set on the windward side of the boat, pole uphaul and downhaul attached to the pole, windward sheet (guy) led through the end of the pole. 2. Adjust the pole to a level position using the uphaul and downhaul. 3. Haul her up, watching closely to see that she unravels without a twist (called hourglassing). the guys will have to pulled in at this time as well, especially the windward one. The haul up is probably best done with the spinnaker turtle at the bow, although we have launched the spinnaker from inside the cabin on occasion, running the sail up the back side of the main so that it will not take on any wind until the head of the sail is at full height. 4. After the sail is full, adjust the sheets. Don't worry, you will know when it's full. If you have your main adjusted correctly to the wind, the spinnaker pole will usually be in line with the boom when set correctly. This angle is adjusted by pulling in (or letting out)the windward sheet (called a guy on a spinnaker). You must also adjust the uphaul and/or downhaul when you re-position the pole because they may prevent it from moving if they are too tight. after there is wind in the sail, the downhaul will be most important since it prevents the pole from riding up 5. Most adjustment after the sail is full and the pole is set in the right position will be done with the leeward guy as long as you don't change the boat's angle to the apparent wind. The lower windward corner of the sail should be right at the pole, and the head should be all the way up, touching the mast. The other corner will be flying free. Sheet the leeward guy in until you are sure that the sail is full - no flogging, no backwinding, then let it out until you see a small curl on the luff of the sail, and play the leeward guy in and out continually looking for that curl yet not letting it turn into a backwinded sail. When you adjust the course of the boat, you must also adjust the pole angle and the sheets. When it's time to get it down, be sure to let the pole off and steer the boat so that the main blankets the sail. You do this by letting go of the windward guy, but not so far that the sail can't be reached from the deck. If it's too far away, sheet in the leeward guy with the windward one still off so that it doesn't fill with wind again. You will need someone up there hauling it in or else it will end up in the water. Packing the sail into the bag correctly is critical, just like a parachute, to avoid hourglassing when hoisting. Separate the 3 corners and stuff the bulk of the sail in first with the center back of the sail in the bottom of the bag. Leave the 3 corners on the top so that you can hook them on next time. Getting the three corners mixed up at the top of the bag makes for some really interesting hoists. Mark the three corners well so that you know which goes where (they are usually color coded, so that helps a lot). Gybing means that mainly that the pole must be moved to the new windward side of the boat and therefore detached and re-attached from the appropriate guy. This can be difficult although it need not be if all on the team are watching and working together. The trick is to steer the boat and adjust the lines so that the person on the bow can reach everything at the right time. What can happens is that the pole gets detached and the wind takes both sheets away from the boat. This becomes difficult. On most boats the end of the pole at the mast gets moved to the new windward sheet and the other end goes onto the mast. The helper in the cockpit who is controlling the guys must ease pressure on these lines adequately to allow the pole to be moved. In big winds, these forces are great and it can get tough to do. using the main as a blanket can help. On the boats I have sailed, the pole comes off the mast first, then gets attached to the new guy so that at some point both ends are attached to the guys (for as short a time as possible) Then the end gets detached from the old guy and put onto the mast. Adjust all the lines, and away you go an the new tack. Oh yeah, of course you had to also gybe the main in there somewhere as well. This happens at the same time as when the pole comes across to the new position. There you go - hope it helps. It will all be a lot easier if you can find someone who has done this before to go with you a few times. ROwen
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Barrie McDonald
Thanks Richard Owen of Vancouver re Spinnaker Sai
Richards, Thanks for the detailed response to setting this type of sail. I will let you know how i make out. Barrie
Richards, Thanks for the detailed response to setting this type of sail. I will let you know how i make out. Barrie
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