Downwind Under Spinnaker |
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| Want to get downwind quickly? Fly the chute! It's easier than you think with a few helping hands. |
Technique
Downwind Under Spinnaker |
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| Want to get downwind quickly? Fly the chute! It's easier than you think with a few helping hands. |
Maybe you've seen boats sailing along under their colourful spinnakers and thought, "Gee, I'd like to do that, but it seems pretty tricky." With the right equipment, a little practice, and some helping hands, flying the chute can be an easy and fun way to get going fast downwind.
The spinnaker (call it the chute or kite and you'll sound like a pro), is a large, light-weight 3-cornered sail. While some are designed for reaching, most spinnakers are shaped to fly well on a broad reach or run. On most boats, it takes at least two crew, apart from the helmsperson, to launch, fly, gybe and douse the chute.
The sail is hoisted by a halyard running through a sheave or block usually located just above the forestay tang on the mast. Sail control is by two sheets attached to each of the lower corners and led back through blocks to the cockpit or cabin top. The sheet running to the pole is called the "guy". The fore-and-aft angle of the pole is adjusted by easing or hardening the guy. The leeward sheet is used to "fly" the chute.
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The spinnaker is a large parachute-like sail that flies from the mast ahead of the forestay. Sheets attached to the tack and clew control the sail, while the spinnaker pole extends the tack from the mast and out past the forestay. Careful rigging ensures the sail launches cleanly from either a companionway or pulpit bag. |
On traditional symmetrical spinnakers a pole holds one corner of the sail (the tack) out from the mast and mainsail. The pole is attached at one end to a ring on the forward side of the mast, the other end holds the windward sheet. Both ends of the pole have jaws which open and close by a trip line for quick release.
An adjustable topping lift and downhaul connect to the centre
of the pole, run to the mast above and below the attachment ring,
and back to cleats. These lines allow you to set the height of
the pole and keep it from "bouncing": a tendency for
the pole to rise up as wind pressure on the sail increases, and
drop down in lulls.
Setting the chute involves launching it from a bag. To do this, the sail must be rigged and ready to go. Depending on the size and layout of your boat, launching bags are kept in the companionway hatch opening, under the forehatch, or hanging on the pulpit. The halyard and sheets are attached to the sail while it's in the bag and laid out to run clear as the sail is hoisted. A little thought has to be given when laying out the sheets to ensure they're outside the shrouds and not underneath genoa sheets. If you're uncertain how to run the lines, invite a more experienced sailor aboard at your mooring and lay out the lines together.
The sail should also be laid out in the bag so that the luff,
leach and foot will all be heading in the right direction as the
sail comes out of the bag. Most spinnakers have colour tape on
the edges to help you make sure the sail isn't twisted around
itself -- the cause of frustrating "hourglassed" spinnakers.
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A clean set with the head, luff and leach nicely separated, with no twists, as the chute is hauled out of the launch bag. |
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Problems here: The leach and luff were twisted in the bag, causing the chute to "hourglass" as it was hoisted. Someone will have to go out on the foredeck and try to get things straightened out. A swivel shackle on the halyard will help solve the problem, but it's one that's best avoided with careful packing of the chute in the launch bag. |
Just before launching, the guy is placed through the pole's outer jaws so that it's free to run. The pole is attached to the mast and set at the correct height using the topping lift, then pushed against the windward side of the forestay. With the boat on a broad reach or run, you're ready to launch.
When launching the chute, one person hoists the halyard while a second person hauls in the guy until the tack reaches the pole. If you're launching from a pulpit bag, you'll also have to haul in the sheet to pull the spinnaker's clew out of the bag and back to the leeward shrouds. Once the sail is up, pull the pole back approximately perpendicular to the wind - use your masthead wind indicator to help you judge the angle - trim the sheet, let the sail fill, and you're off!
Because the luff of the spinnaker flies free (it's not attached to a stay or mast), the sail must be carefully trimmed to the wind angle. This is done by changing the fore-and-aft angle of the pole and trimming the sheet. A good guide is to set the pole perpendicular to the apparent wind direction. Again, the masthead wind indicator can be helpful.
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To help the chute get as much clear air as possible, the pole should be pulled as far aft as possible, without allowing the sail to collapse. A good rule-of-thumb is to keep the pole perpendicular to the apparent wind. When trimming the chute, the sheet and guy should be adjusted in unison - easing one while hardening the other - so the sail pivots around the mast. |
In lighter wind, one person can usually handle trimming both
the guy and sheet. As the breeze picks up, or for larger chutes,
a second crew member can trim the sheet. The person trimming the
sheet often stands on the windward deck just aft of the shrouds.
From here they get a good look at the sail and can keep it trimmed
for wind shifts or course changes.
Describing gybing techniques can sound like instructions for programming your VCR, so finding someone to walk you through the steps with your boat securely tied to your mooring can again be helpful.
When it's time to gybe, the chute has to be reset on the opposite side of the boat. This requires releasing the guy, bringing the pole to the other side of the forestay, and attaching the pole to the opposite sheet (which becomes the new guy).
Larger boats use a "dip gybe" technique, where the pole stays attached to the mast. When the guy is released, the pole is dipped using the topping lift and swung under the forestay to the new windward side, then attached to the new guy. Smaller boats use an "end-for-end gybe". Here, the inboard end of the pole is released from the mast ring and attached to the sheet, which becomes the new guy. The old guy is released from the other end of the pole using the trip line, the pole is rotated end-for-end between the mast and the forestay, and re-attached to the mast.
Gybe |
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In an end-for-end gybe, the foredeck crew stands on the leeward side of the mast facing forward, with feet apart for balance and their shoulder braced against the mast, and waits for the command, "Gybe ho!"
It's easiest to drop the chute while sailing on a run rather than a reach. Bringing the sail down to leeward of the mainsail is also easier. This way the chute naturally collapses in the lee of the main so it's easier to haul in, keep on the boat, and keep dry. Also, the pole can stay attached to the mast until the sail is bagged.
When you're ready to douse, release the guy, haul in the sheet
and gather the foot. Then release the halyard and pull the sail
down back into its launching bag. Do this well, and the chute
will be all ready to launch (no twists) the next time it's needed.
With a little practice, and some helpful crew, you can quickly become proficient with the spinnaker. You'll enjoy the challenge of flying the chute, get downwind quicker, and maybe arrive in time to pick up the choice mooring at your favourite anchorage.
Watch for tips on advanced spinnaker handling for racing in future issues of Waterways.
copyright 1999 Eric Calvert
