The query got me to wonder when did the use of a spinnaker sock come about? I do not remember their use back in the late 60's when I was learning and racing boats in San Diego Bay.
A couple of searches turned up several claims.
1. The VF Shaw Company out of Maryland made this claim.
Spinnaker Furling With Ease
In 1979 the V.F. Shaw Co. invented, perfected and marketed the first sleeve furling device in this country. Since then we have acquired many years of experience in using and improving the Chutescoop, which we try to pass onto you, our customers. From our years of experience we offer the following advice to help you to sort facts from fiction.
Wikipedia has this quote. No reference is made to a shoot or douser.
Sphinx first set her spinnaker in the Solent in 1865, and the first recorded use of the word was in 1866 in the August edition of Yachting Calendar and Review (p. 84)
2. Kaycee Longmore reports in Boat Plans (
The History of the Spinnaker Sleeve - Sail Technology - Boat Plans)
The History of the Spinnaker Sleeve
The first spinnaker retaining device was invented in Germany about 35 years ago. It was called the Blue Max and was a very simple cloth tube with a rigid opening at one end and a closed-loop line running along the inside that was used to control the up and down of the tube. Nobody paid much attention to it back then since flying spinnakers was not very popular at the time.
3. On the website the Global Solo Challenge, Marco Nannini interviewed Etienne Giroire, "in all respects the father of the modern spinnaker sleeve which he has been producing since 1985."
Spinnaker sleeve, all you need to know with Etienne Giroire
In the mid 80s Etienne Giroire setup ATN and started producing a system that truly worked. Legendary sailors like Eric Tabarly had been trying various systems with their sailmakers but none was working reliably. When sailing single-handed, a reliable way to hande spinnakers is essential in the success of a racing campaign.
Eric Tabarly at a boat show saw a Swede who had this sail system for the spinnaker. He wanted to gain market share and had patented it. But that product didn’t go anywhere really and didn’t get noticed. It is only in 1976 when Eric Tabarly wanted to do the OSTAR in Penduick VI that he went to see his sailmaker. He told Victor Tonner he wanted to do the race but needed something to handle the spinnaker.
Eric Tabarly had been thinking about it quite a bit, it was the result of very careful design. Because he then won the race and his name was Eric Tabarly the rest of the sailmakers noticed in earnest the spinnaker sleeve concept. As you can imagine every sailmaker around France started to make their own spinnaker sleeves!
SO I guess you can take your pick about who developed the first Spinnaker Sleeve, but all put the development during the late 70's early 80's.