March winds usually make for good kite flying, but do you fly the kite on your boat? We mean, of course, the spinnaker! Is there anything more beautiful than a big multicolored spinnaker drawing fully and pulling the boat along on a downwind run or a broad reach? Is there anything more embarrassing than to try a spinnaker jibe and end up with the chute hourglassed around the forestay? Is there anything more stressful than getting hit with a wind gust with the spinnaker up, broaching to and getting knocked down on your beam ends? So how often do you fly your chute? Do you put it up every time wind conditions and your point of sail are right? Or is it too much hassle and you only fly it a few times a year on special occasions? Is it lurking down there somewhere in your sail locker waiting for you to overcoming your hesitancy and fly it for the first time? Or is a spinnaker still on your wish list instead of on your boat? Share your spinnaker triumphs and tragedies, then vote in the Quick Quiz at the bottom of the home page. (Quiz by Gary Wyngarden based on a suggestion by Mattie of the Ruby Lee)
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Yes! (we fly one)
We fly a regular full-size 3/4 oz chute on our Hunter 35. It is beautiful to look at when it's up. Hourglassing and and does happen. I had to go up the mast once to pull the snap shackle to drop it. Haven't got knocked down yet. A friend who raced a C&C 36 got his spreaders in the water (during a race) and this was the one time I wasn't crewing. We don't fly it that often because it is work to put up and in Puget Sound and around the Gulf and San Juans the winds are fairly flukey. My wife isn't excited about flying it so thats another drawback. After a good run, though, she loves to talk about it! In fact, I remember once we were over 10 knots and she didn't want to take it down!!! The most fun sail there is! I'd like to fill in between the spinaker and 150 with an asymetrical. For Gary: If I were go get a Nauticat 43 though, I'd probably have to fly one more often. But then I guess there would be a more stable platform.
We fly a regular full-size 3/4 oz chute on our Hunter 35. It is beautiful to look at when it's up. Hourglassing and and does happen. I had to go up the mast once to pull the snap shackle to drop it. Haven't got knocked down yet. A friend who raced a C&C 36 got his spreaders in the water (during a race) and this was the one time I wasn't crewing. We don't fly it that often because it is work to put up and in Puget Sound and around the Gulf and San Juans the winds are fairly flukey. My wife isn't excited about flying it so thats another drawback. After a good run, though, she loves to talk about it! In fact, I remember once we were over 10 knots and she didn't want to take it down!!! The most fun sail there is! I'd like to fill in between the spinaker and 150 with an asymetrical. For Gary: If I were go get a Nauticat 43 though, I'd probably have to fly one more often. But then I guess there would be a more stable platform.
We gonna fly it
This will be our first prime season with our P-23 and the chute has'nt been up yet, mostly single handing through the winter. The plan is to get it out and up on the first appropriate day when I have some help.
This will be our first prime season with our P-23 and the chute has'nt been up yet, mostly single handing through the winter. The plan is to get it out and up on the first appropriate day when I have some help.
Every time
On the York River off the Chesapeake Bay, we tack upwind on our Hunter 29.5 to turn around and throw our asymetrical spin, a 0.75 red and blue by North that has held up for 100 flights the past three years. Several people on HOW have responded favorably to my offer of sending pix and directions for a sturdy, inexpensive 10-foot bowsprit that extends four feet off the prow. Keeps the main from blanketing the spin. If you'd like the pix, email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com with your ground mailing address so I can send them along. My other improvements were to redeploy the jib furling line to Clear Step rollers so I can use the jib rollers for a permanent tack line for the spin. The sheets are hooked to the outside of each side for ready flying. These minimize the effort to get the lines out, while ensuring that they are properly positioned in the first place (ie. outside all lines so as not to foul).
On the York River off the Chesapeake Bay, we tack upwind on our Hunter 29.5 to turn around and throw our asymetrical spin, a 0.75 red and blue by North that has held up for 100 flights the past three years. Several people on HOW have responded favorably to my offer of sending pix and directions for a sturdy, inexpensive 10-foot bowsprit that extends four feet off the prow. Keeps the main from blanketing the spin. If you'd like the pix, email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com with your ground mailing address so I can send them along. My other improvements were to redeploy the jib furling line to Clear Step rollers so I can use the jib rollers for a permanent tack line for the spin. The sheets are hooked to the outside of each side for ready flying. These minimize the effort to get the lines out, while ensuring that they are properly positioned in the first place (ie. outside all lines so as not to foul).
Fly a kite
We fly our chute every time (wind and weather permitting) when returning from Red Fish Island, heading NW back to port, across Galveston Bay. We love to be on the fly!
We fly our chute every time (wind and weather permitting) when returning from Red Fish Island, heading NW back to port, across Galveston Bay. We love to be on the fly!
Go Ahead And Broach That Thing
If you have never borached a spinnaker, then you're not pushing hard enough. Actually, many folks are afraid of flying a chute, kite, spinnaker or whatever you call it (years ago my wife had other names for it). But, really, I do it alone all the time, in all kinds of weather. It's no different that sailing any other sail in the apprpriate air. Zipping along, in light to moderate winds, with a full main, staysail and a spinnaker is a beautiful and thrilling experience. All you need to fly a spinnaker are the same three things you need to fly a jib, namely, a hoist, a tack and a lead to the winch. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, you gotta create a "tack" for the sail. Yes you do. And....you have to keep it slightly aft of the wind, so the first 2 feet of the luff is perpindicular to the wind. Other than that though, it's just like any other sail. Put it up, trim it and go. Yes, when the wind pipes up, it might broach. But, it's only a broach. Not the end of life as we know it. When you feel a puff coming, you can lower the potential for a broach by easing the sails, starting with the aft most sail, the main. Then ease the staysail. You can also turn a little downwind. But if the broach is inevitable, go with the flow. Things will settle themselves down shortly thereafter. I have done a number of the Port Huron to Mackinaw Island Solo Challenges, and we all have had the spinnaker up in weather we might not have normally chosen. It is a race, afterall. Sometimes we have to spend a lot of time chasing the kite down the lake. At times that's all you can do, but what a thrill to have the boat flying along, flat out, hell bent for leather, spray coming at you from several directions, and a boat just yards ahead of you, or behind you. He's gotta' quit first!
If you have never borached a spinnaker, then you're not pushing hard enough. Actually, many folks are afraid of flying a chute, kite, spinnaker or whatever you call it (years ago my wife had other names for it). But, really, I do it alone all the time, in all kinds of weather. It's no different that sailing any other sail in the apprpriate air. Zipping along, in light to moderate winds, with a full main, staysail and a spinnaker is a beautiful and thrilling experience. All you need to fly a spinnaker are the same three things you need to fly a jib, namely, a hoist, a tack and a lead to the winch. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, you gotta create a "tack" for the sail. Yes you do. And....you have to keep it slightly aft of the wind, so the first 2 feet of the luff is perpindicular to the wind. Other than that though, it's just like any other sail. Put it up, trim it and go. Yes, when the wind pipes up, it might broach. But, it's only a broach. Not the end of life as we know it. When you feel a puff coming, you can lower the potential for a broach by easing the sails, starting with the aft most sail, the main. Then ease the staysail. You can also turn a little downwind. But if the broach is inevitable, go with the flow. Things will settle themselves down shortly thereafter. I have done a number of the Port Huron to Mackinaw Island Solo Challenges, and we all have had the spinnaker up in weather we might not have normally chosen. It is a race, afterall. Sometimes we have to spend a lot of time chasing the kite down the lake. At times that's all you can do, but what a thrill to have the boat flying along, flat out, hell bent for leather, spray coming at you from several directions, and a boat just yards ahead of you, or behind you. He's gotta' quit first!
To fly...
We've owned six "racer/cruisers" and we had some kind of a chute for the first five. It seems like we've always sailed shorthanded and standard chutes on our first three, a 23', a 28' and 34-footer, got to be progressively more "interesting" (in the sense of the ancient Chinese curse - "May you live in interesting times".) For our C&C38 abd C&C40, we bought UK Flashers. For the Flashers, we had "Stashers", that would supposedly make it much easier to get the chute up and down. When they worked, everything went well. When they jammed, it was a nighmare. Our experience was that the lines that operated the "scoop" tended to kink the instant you released the pressure on them and then jam in the small block at the masthead. Now, the shorthanded crew would have to lower the whole gigantic sail to the deck - what a mess! When we ordered our Hunter L43, we decided to not even carry a whisker-pole. I feel that a two or three person crew is just not safe with a sail that size set. Plus, I'm a big advocate of KISS when cruising. We found that tacking downwind with a boat like the L43 to be very effective for speed-made-good. (On our light-air run to the Marquessas we averaged 6.25 nots over the bottom.) We live in an area of mostly older folks and finding "deck apes" for dependable crew is difficult. I found that frequently I was being beaten by someone else's crew. And racing without a chute is usually futile against spinnakers. No handicap system can make up for the difference in performance. As a result, I have become a big advocate of no-flying-sails-racing. Having said all of this, I sailed on a friend's Hunter 40 one day last year and was using a cruising chute with a newer model scoop. It went up and down without a hitch. At some point I might try it again.
We've owned six "racer/cruisers" and we had some kind of a chute for the first five. It seems like we've always sailed shorthanded and standard chutes on our first three, a 23', a 28' and 34-footer, got to be progressively more "interesting" (in the sense of the ancient Chinese curse - "May you live in interesting times".) For our C&C38 abd C&C40, we bought UK Flashers. For the Flashers, we had "Stashers", that would supposedly make it much easier to get the chute up and down. When they worked, everything went well. When they jammed, it was a nighmare. Our experience was that the lines that operated the "scoop" tended to kink the instant you released the pressure on them and then jam in the small block at the masthead. Now, the shorthanded crew would have to lower the whole gigantic sail to the deck - what a mess! When we ordered our Hunter L43, we decided to not even carry a whisker-pole. I feel that a two or three person crew is just not safe with a sail that size set. Plus, I'm a big advocate of KISS when cruising. We found that tacking downwind with a boat like the L43 to be very effective for speed-made-good. (On our light-air run to the Marquessas we averaged 6.25 nots over the bottom.) We live in an area of mostly older folks and finding "deck apes" for dependable crew is difficult. I found that frequently I was being beaten by someone else's crew. And racing without a chute is usually futile against spinnakers. No handicap system can make up for the difference in performance. As a result, I have become a big advocate of no-flying-sails-racing. Having said all of this, I sailed on a friend's Hunter 40 one day last year and was using a cruising chute with a newer model scoop. It went up and down without a hitch. At some point I might try it again.
Kite Flying
Years ago when I was just learning how to sail, I had the helm of a Rhoads sailboat while my "Captain" was setting the spinaker. I jibed the boat, foulded the sail and we all almost went swimming. Three boats later,numerous crewing, racing and bluewater trips all with spinkers,I have yet to buy one for my own boat. Someday I hope to have one.A sailboat with its spinaker flying is a beautiful sight!
Years ago when I was just learning how to sail, I had the helm of a Rhoads sailboat while my "Captain" was setting the spinaker. I jibed the boat, foulded the sail and we all almost went swimming. Three boats later,numerous crewing, racing and bluewater trips all with spinkers,I have yet to buy one for my own boat. Someday I hope to have one.A sailboat with its spinaker flying is a beautiful sight!
Go Fly a Kite
I had tried several times, very unsuccessfully, to fly my spinnaker. When I purchased my boat new, I purchased the spinnaker along with it. Little did I know, as a novice sailor, that not everything I needed to fly that kite was included. I searched far and wide on the internet for any tips on how to correctly set the sail, but alas, found nothing. And then recently, on a new attempt, I found a great web site that showed how it was done. After jury-rigging a few things, my son and I went out to give it a show in 6 knot winds and up she went, beautiful and colorful. We even successfully jibed. It was a great day. We are now waiting for some stronger winds and we will go out and try again. My next purchase will be a spinnaker sock.
I had tried several times, very unsuccessfully, to fly my spinnaker. When I purchased my boat new, I purchased the spinnaker along with it. Little did I know, as a novice sailor, that not everything I needed to fly that kite was included. I searched far and wide on the internet for any tips on how to correctly set the sail, but alas, found nothing. And then recently, on a new attempt, I found a great web site that showed how it was done. After jury-rigging a few things, my son and I went out to give it a show in 6 knot winds and up she went, beautiful and colorful. We even successfully jibed. It was a great day. We are now waiting for some stronger winds and we will go out and try again. My next purchase will be a spinnaker sock.
Sometimes
We use the cruising spinnaker on our P30 more like a big genny....when we got the boat the spinnaker pole was in such bad shape I trashed it. With the sock, it's fairly manageable in the conditions we use it in....maybe a whisker pole this year. We're not big spinnaker fans...they're pretty, but too much work for just one or two people to handle safely.
We use the cruising spinnaker on our P30 more like a big genny....when we got the boat the spinnaker pole was in such bad shape I trashed it. With the sock, it's fairly manageable in the conditions we use it in....maybe a whisker pole this year. We're not big spinnaker fans...they're pretty, but too much work for just one or two people to handle safely.
Not a measure of testosterone
Why is it that other sailors who fly spinnakers feel those that don't are afraid or unskilled? Is spinnaker flying a measure of the skippers testosterone level? I've flown spinnakers on J-boats, catamarans, and yes, my Beneteau. I consider myself well-skilled in this area and have often done it single-handed. However, I choose not to fly a spinnaker on my recently purchased Oceanis 300. It has nothing to do with skill or fear. It's just not worth the extra effort and expense. (And dousing socks are not the answer either). I have often finished ahead of boats flying spinnakers just by sailing better with the main and jib. Flying and owning a chute is too much like work, which is the exact reason I like to sail - to get away from work.
Why is it that other sailors who fly spinnakers feel those that don't are afraid or unskilled? Is spinnaker flying a measure of the skippers testosterone level? I've flown spinnakers on J-boats, catamarans, and yes, my Beneteau. I consider myself well-skilled in this area and have often done it single-handed. However, I choose not to fly a spinnaker on my recently purchased Oceanis 300. It has nothing to do with skill or fear. It's just not worth the extra effort and expense. (And dousing socks are not the answer either). I have often finished ahead of boats flying spinnakers just by sailing better with the main and jib. Flying and owning a chute is too much like work, which is the exact reason I like to sail - to get away from work.
Not much use
I have two spinakers - both rest quietly in my basement as I only have limited room for storage in my Oday 28. I guess I simply am not that aggresive in my sailing techniques. I still keep the pole chocked on deck for wing and winging. I have considered a nice cruising spinaker in the future, but my buddy who just bought one for his C30 says that he rarely uses it..don't know what to think.
I have two spinakers - both rest quietly in my basement as I only have limited room for storage in my Oday 28. I guess I simply am not that aggresive in my sailing techniques. I still keep the pole chocked on deck for wing and winging. I have considered a nice cruising spinaker in the future, but my buddy who just bought one for his C30 says that he rarely uses it..don't know what to think.
Once in a while
'89 MacGregor 26 - symetrical spinnaker used on rare occasions when things are just right and in the mood. But have made some very long runs with it at times too on Green Bay. Use a sock. Hate the hassle of setting up all the exta lines. Usually have it up to show off to friends more than gain the speed.
'89 MacGregor 26 - symetrical spinnaker used on rare occasions when things are just right and in the mood. But have made some very long runs with it at times too on Green Bay. Use a sock. Hate the hassle of setting up all the exta lines. Usually have it up to show off to friends more than gain the speed.
2 or 3 times a summer!
We fly our blue and white spinnaker 2 to 3 times per summer, during a daysail whenever conditions are right and I have someone trustworthy on the helm while I go forward to set it. It's fun to hear my kids say "It feels like we're not moving!" There surely is nothing prettier than seeing a spinnaker and it's fun to be the source of that beauty.
We fly our blue and white spinnaker 2 to 3 times per summer, during a daysail whenever conditions are right and I have someone trustworthy on the helm while I go forward to set it. It's fun to hear my kids say "It feels like we're not moving!" There surely is nothing prettier than seeing a spinnaker and it's fun to be the source of that beauty.
lite air sails
I have a few lite air sails a cruising asymetrical chute, a standard chute and a drifter. They dont get much use since I sail on a lake and the winds are too flukey - esp when single handing - with crew and racing they will get aired out a bit Capt Teach
I have a few lite air sails a cruising asymetrical chute, a standard chute and a drifter. They dont get much use since I sail on a lake and the winds are too flukey - esp when single handing - with crew and racing they will get aired out a bit Capt Teach
20% less cruising time on the iron genny
Our asymetric is easy to rig in its sock - for the Admiral, or even new crew. And it makes a tremendous difference cruising on Lake Erie in the changeable summer winds. In a week long cruise, it will easily convert more than a day from the engine to great sailing. For day sails, there is the show-off factor. A spinnaker looks great, as well as moving us along in light air. Also, the typical daysailing course is beam reach out, and beam reach back - perfect courses for the asymetric. We usually don't fly it on a daysail under two hours, though, just to avoid the time getting it out from the sail locker, and rigging it. David Lady Lillie
Our asymetric is easy to rig in its sock - for the Admiral, or even new crew. And it makes a tremendous difference cruising on Lake Erie in the changeable summer winds. In a week long cruise, it will easily convert more than a day from the engine to great sailing. For day sails, there is the show-off factor. A spinnaker looks great, as well as moving us along in light air. Also, the typical daysailing course is beam reach out, and beam reach back - perfect courses for the asymetric. We usually don't fly it on a daysail under two hours, though, just to avoid the time getting it out from the sail locker, and rigging it. David Lady Lillie
No problem!!!
I solved the problem. I fly a Gennacker and I do so from a sock... works like a darn. I usually sail solo. A more adventuresome jibe is to attempt the move in traditional style. However the more practical technique, especially if the apparent is 8+kn, is to sock the sail first, lay over the Main, then reopen the Gennacker. You're right though, it's a beautiful sail.... not to mention my beautiful boat.
I solved the problem. I fly a Gennacker and I do so from a sock... works like a darn. I usually sail solo. A more adventuresome jibe is to attempt the move in traditional style. However the more practical technique, especially if the apparent is 8+kn, is to sock the sail first, lay over the Main, then reopen the Gennacker. You're right though, it's a beautiful sail.... not to mention my beautiful boat.
In the Begining
My father and I have recently purchased a 34 Cal equiped with a spinikar, we are beginers to the sport and will fly the kite on every chance we get as soon as we figure out how to sail the "kite". Any advice?
My father and I have recently purchased a 34 Cal equiped with a spinikar, we are beginers to the sport and will fly the kite on every chance we get as soon as we figure out how to sail the "kite". Any advice?
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