I recently rigged my boat with a spinnaker and it's been a learning experience for sure. Here's an example: I am headed upwind for the windlward mark and as I tack over onto starboard to lay the mark the crew gets off the rail and begins the process of readying the spinnaker for hoist. I have found that all of the this activity slows the boat when sailing close hauled as compared to when the crew is sitting still on the rail. My solution to this has been to slightly overstand the mark by a boat length or two so I can come off the wind a little bit. This mitigates the affect of the crew moving around and I sail faster. Anyone else do this? Am I just being an amateur?
Windward mark rounding strategy
- Thread starter markwbird
- Start date
Setting the chute is about choreography. The only person moving around before the set is the foredeck. On the way up the W leg the chute be set and ready to go, the sheet and guy run before you start the race. Approaching the W mark, the pit and foredeck work to set the pole. In most conditions the pit can stay right in the pit, so he doesn't have to move (that's one of the reasons I liked the pit position 
), so only the fore deck is moving around and doing so slowly and deliberately so as to not upset the boat trim any more than necessary. As the boat begins to actually round the mark, the mast gets up and is ready to hump the sail up. The trimmers then move back to the cockpit.
Crew position on the rail is important. From forward aft, foredeck, mast, rail meat, trimmers, pit. In this order people get off the rail in the order they are needed which limits moving around. Crew gets on the rail in the order they get done with their jobs. After the take down, foredeck clears the deck, forward of the mast crew, the rail meat should already be there and then the trimmers get on deck and finally the pit. The Pit will be last because he is cleaning up and packing the chute.
), so only the fore deck is moving around and doing so slowly and deliberately so as to not upset the boat trim any more than necessary. As the boat begins to actually round the mark, the mast gets up and is ready to hump the sail up. The trimmers then move back to the cockpit.Crew position on the rail is important. From forward aft, foredeck, mast, rail meat, trimmers, pit. In this order people get off the rail in the order they are needed which limits moving around. Crew gets on the rail in the order they get done with their jobs. After the take down, foredeck clears the deck, forward of the mast crew, the rail meat should already be there and then the trimmers get on deck and finally the pit. The Pit will be last because he is cleaning up and packing the chute.
Hello,
Great discussion topic.
What kind of spinnaker are you using, symmetric with pole or ASym on a sprit? The asym is much easier as the pole adds a lot more complexity.
On the boat I race on (with removable sprit and asymmetric), we rig the boat before we get to the course. This means the spin halyard is clipped to a mast plate, the spin sheets are routed through through turning blocks with the sail end of the sheet tied to the port lifeline and the trimming ends looped over the secondar winches. The sprit is mounted and the tack line run with the sail end led over the lifeline and clipped to the lifeline.
As we approach the windward mark, at about 3 minutes to the mark the chute will get brought on deck and the bow man will clip the bag to the lifelines and attach the halyard, sheets, and tack line. No other crew move. The chute is just about ready to be deployed. About 30 seconds before we reach the mark the bag gets opened and the tack of sail pulled to the end of the sprit. The bow man pulls the tack out of the bag, a trimmer in cockpit pulls the tack line until the tack reaches the sprit. The remainder of the crew are still on the rail.
When we're a boat length or two from the mark the crew comes off the rail. As we round the mark the spin halyard goes up. The main trimmer does his job. The headsail trimmer eases the sail. Once the spin is up the trimmer sheets it in. The rest of the crew get the headsail down and we're off towards the downwind mark!
How I miss sailing and racing! Can't wait until my first race, which will be April 30.
Barry
Great discussion topic.
What kind of spinnaker are you using, symmetric with pole or ASym on a sprit? The asym is much easier as the pole adds a lot more complexity.
On the boat I race on (with removable sprit and asymmetric), we rig the boat before we get to the course. This means the spin halyard is clipped to a mast plate, the spin sheets are routed through through turning blocks with the sail end of the sheet tied to the port lifeline and the trimming ends looped over the secondar winches. The sprit is mounted and the tack line run with the sail end led over the lifeline and clipped to the lifeline.
As we approach the windward mark, at about 3 minutes to the mark the chute will get brought on deck and the bow man will clip the bag to the lifelines and attach the halyard, sheets, and tack line. No other crew move. The chute is just about ready to be deployed. About 30 seconds before we reach the mark the bag gets opened and the tack of sail pulled to the end of the sprit. The bow man pulls the tack out of the bag, a trimmer in cockpit pulls the tack line until the tack reaches the sprit. The remainder of the crew are still on the rail.
When we're a boat length or two from the mark the crew comes off the rail. As we round the mark the spin halyard goes up. The main trimmer does his job. The headsail trimmer eases the sail. Once the spin is up the trimmer sheets it in. The rest of the crew get the headsail down and we're off towards the downwind mark!
How I miss sailing and racing! Can't wait until my first race, which will be April 30.
Barry
Barry has outlined a good procedure. Much depends upon what your setup is and what your crew is capable of. With a symmetrical spinnaker you can often put the spinnaker bag in the pulpit and attach the sheet and guy (and maybe even the halyard) before the race starts. The spinnaker bag needs to have a shock-cord type top that will hold the lines in until they get pulled for the set and the top comes off. There also needs to be a clip to keep the bag from going overboard. The pole may be able to be out on deck with the guy led through the jaws and the topping lift attached and held back by the mast so the jib can be tacked. Then all the crew needs to do is to lift the pole onto the mast fitting and tighten the topping lift. (20 seconds?) This will keep him or her from having to go to the bow to attach the halyard (slowing the boat down) . Timing and teamwork take practice. Two boatlengths is too much compensation for what the maneuver should need.
I agree with the above comments, only one person moving to get the spin set up. For the symmetrical, I grab the bag, hook it on the leeward rail behind the jib, hook the sheets, guys and halyard onto the sail which were all pre-lead to the leeward rail. The pole is pretty big so if there are waves I get a hand setting the pole, the mast guy grabs his end end I put the pole out while I clip in the guy and then the pole lift.
Over standing the mark can be a good idea but really depends on the wind, waves and traffic, not the crew moving around. If there are other boats near by I'd rather keep it tight to the mark, unless I think someone may tack and park on top of us at the lay line. That's when it's good to play games with them by heading up or down to make them think you aren't laying or have already over stood the mark, or some time you want to shoot up or down just as someone tacks in front of you. Just be sure you aren't hunting, heading at them to force a tack.
Racing around the cans we have an offset mark at the windward mark and always aim to have the spin fully up and ready to pull by the offset.
Over standing the mark can be a good idea but really depends on the wind, waves and traffic, not the crew moving around. If there are other boats near by I'd rather keep it tight to the mark, unless I think someone may tack and park on top of us at the lay line. That's when it's good to play games with them by heading up or down to make them think you aren't laying or have already over stood the mark, or some time you want to shoot up or down just as someone tacks in front of you. Just be sure you aren't hunting, heading at them to force a tack.
Racing around the cans we have an offset mark at the windward mark and always aim to have the spin fully up and ready to pull by the offset.