Spinnaker use "cruising style"

[ricksoth]

I hoisted the spinnaker that came with my Cal 27 today in near zero wind with the tack tied to the anchor roller and a loop around the furler. The sail is about 5' off the deck at the tack.

Does this look reasonable for when there is some wind? The bag says it's a 0.75 oz. so what kind of wind range should I consider hoisting this in?

Do I really need something like the ATN Tacker or a loop of line with parrel beads around the furled genoa ? It does not seem like I'm going to be moving the tack up and down, or are those for allowing the loop to move more easily when I jibe the spinnaker around the front of the headstay?

Is the sail size roughly the (SL 31.4 x the SF 19.4) / 2 or 300 sq ft? SMG & SMW are the luff/leach I think.

Seems like I should start looking for a used snuffer to make using this single handed a bit easier.

Thoughts?

 

[jssailem]

Yes it looks good.
The sail flys up and out in front of the boat with wind coming down ant around 165-170 degrees.
Here is mine flying. The wind is on about 90 degrees to the bow.

 

[dlochner]

That is basically how I set my cruising chute, or at least for the couple of times I've tried it.

The concern I have about using a line around the fuller for the tack is point loading and wear. You will get chafe from the line rubbing on the furled headsail. The ATN Tacker spreads the load, and the load can be considerable, across a larger area and has less friction than a piece of line.

A sock will make setting and dousing much easier, especially for a single hander. An autopilot will also be handy.

.75 oz cloth is pretty standard for a spinnaker. On the boats I raced on the .75 oz chute would be carried in almost all winds and certainly up to about 20 knots apparent. In part it will depend on the point of sail. Dead downwind there will be less pressure on the sail than on a beam reach, thus the sail could used in a higher true wind speed on a downwind run.

 

[ricksoth]

Autopilot (aka Tiller pilot I use with most sailing days). Honestly, I can't imagine "sailing" without that amazing helping third hand.

 

[Tally Ho]

My a-spin gets tied off on the anchor roller, and I don’t tie anything around the furled head sail.

i do have a sock, and it makes setting and striking the sail much easier when single-handed.

Greg

 

[dlochner]

Rick's sail looks like a symmetrical spinnaker, not an asymmetrical spinnaker like Greg and John have. The clews will need to level to fly correctly, which requires a pole or for the chute to attach to the forestay. The height of the tack will vary depending on conditions and point of sail.

 

[cb32863]

Rick's sail looks like a symmetrical spinnaker, not an asymmetrical spinnaker like Greg and John have. The clews will need to level to fly correctly, which requires a pole or for the chute to attach to the forestay. The height of the tack will vary depending on conditions and point of sail.

I agree, that doesn't look like an asymmetric like the pics the other guys are posting. Maybe you can find a used one. If you can run a tack line and use the anchor roller, that would make launching and dousing easier.

 

[ricksoth]

Yes mine is old-school. Eventually moving to an asymmetrical that can have the tack at bow looks better, but for now the setup is fine.

 

[jssailem]

Use it in light breezes.
You get wind above 8 knots and you may find the boat over powered.
This could put you at risk of broaching.
An uncomfortable and uncontrolled event.

 

[Tally Ho]

Use it in light breezes.
You get wind above 8 knots and you may find the boat over powered.
This could put you at risk of broaching.
An uncomfortable and uncontrolled event.

Good advice. I won’t set my a-spin if winds exceed 10 knots...and my boat is a bit heavier than the Cal 27.

Greg

 

[dlochner]

C’mon guys, you haven’t lived until you’ve flown a chute in 20 knots on a small boat or boachef a big one. Of course I wouldn’t do it solo.

 

[jssailem]

Ok. I agree it is a right of passage.

Once experienced it is a maneuver I avoid.

 

[thinwater]

Use it in light breezes.
You get wind above 8 knots and you may find the boat over powered.
This could put you at risk of broaching.
An uncomfortable and uncontrolled event.

On a multihull that is a capsize. Prevention includes...

• Not flying it in strong winds.
• A twing on the sheet so that it cannot sky once the roll starts.
• Bearing off when heel exceeds about 15 degrees (depends on the boat).
• Getting it down NOW if you ever get the feeling that the rudder is not responding well, because a wipe out is next.

Reefing the main can help reduce excess weather helm.

In addition to a squeezer, getting it behind the main helps (dead downwind).

Jibing (inside vs. outside vs. pull the squeezer down) is a whole nuther' thread. I couldn't help but notice that neither is rigged with two sheets. If flying a chute in high winds is a right of passage, so is the perfect jibe. So cool when you get them just right, the sail popping open right when the turn ends.

 

[jssailem]

I couldn't help but notice that neither is rigged with two sheets.

Good eyes. The image was taken on the first day/opportunity to fly the chute. Only scrounged up enough sheet line for a single. Since then I have 2 dedicated sheets to enjoy the Navy Blue and Gold spinnaker on SV Hadley.

A single sheet can be used especially if you do the gybe, in a controlled fashion, using the sock to douse the sail and run the sheet to on the new tack. Not a procedure I'd use in a race, but a functional solution on a monohull like the Cal27 or Cal35C in cruising mode.

 

[Hollyberry]

Notice that in this image your tack line is outside-loading the bow pulpit... I'd say you need to re-lead that inside the pulpit to avoid damage to the deck fittings of the pulpit in a breeze.

 

[dlochner]

Notice that in this image your tack line is outside-loading the bow pulpit... I'd say you need to re-lead that inside the pulpit to avoid damage to the deck fittings of the pulpit in a breeze.

Asymetric and cruising (poleless) chutes can be jibed inside the forestay like a genoa or outside like a poled chute. The picture shows the chute rigged for an outside jibe, although as @thinwater notes, there is no lazy sheet, so jibing is not possible without dousing the chute.

 

[Hollyberry]

The point I was making is that in a breeze that tack line would put a strong side-load on the pulpit, which it is not meant to withstand. You can do an inside or outside gybe with the tack line lead cleanly inside the pulpit..

 

[DArcy]

The bag says it's a 0.75 oz. so what kind of wind range should I consider hoisting this in?

3/4 oz is usually the heavy one on the boats I race so it will likely hold up in higher winds than you will be comfortable with. Start in light breeze and work your way up. It looks like the sail may be original equipment for your boat, the date says '76, so it could have a few miles on it. If it wasn't used much and is in really good condition it could hold up in 20 knots, although I don't recommend trying it just yet.

You seem to be getting decent shape on a reach with it tacked to the bow but on a deeper reach or run you may find it difficult to fly the symmetric sail like that. Half the fun will be playing with it to see what you can get out of it.