Special asymmetrical spinnaker rig

Special asymmetrical spinnaker rig

One sail that I do not use all that often is my asymmetrical (cruising) spinnaker.  It is a wonderful downwind sail though – especially in breezes up to 10 knots.  But, I single hand Snickerdoodle enough that I pretty much stay with main and jib/genoa.

The typical rigging for an asymmetrical spinnaker will have the following:  a spinnaker halyard with the block secured above and forward of the forestay; a set of sheets rove through blocks on the aft quarter of the boat (this photo does not show the starboard side sheet); and a downhaul tack adjustment line that is rove through a block near the forestay stem fitting.  I also have a “chute scoop” or sock that is pulled over the sail to make hoisting and dousing the sail easier for short-handed crew work.

To make the tack adjustment line truly adjustable, it is then led aft from the block at the stem fitting to a cleat on the coaming or on the cabin top.  For close reaching, pull the adjustment line to lower the tack corner and straighten the luff.  For beam reaching, ease the adjustment line a foot or two.  For broad reaching, ease the adjustment line more – up to five or even six feet.  Of course, the problem with this is that as the tack adjustment line is eased, the sideways push of the breeze tends to push the spinnaker’s tack to leeward.  This tendency to push the tack to leeward changes the sail’s angle of attack AND means that it will be difficult to sail all the way to a broad reach because the mainsail will blanket the spinnaker before a coarse that low can be achieved.

 

To correct – at least partially – the tendency of the tack being pushed to leeward, I have secured a carabiner to the tack adjustment line about eight inches below the tack corner of the sail.  When the sail is hoisted, I simply clip the tack adjustment line to the forestay.  The most that the tack can then be pushed to leeward is only eight inches.  I can now sail almost to a broad reach as if this was a symmetrical spinnaker with a pole.

So, if you are experiencing a tendency of your cruising spinnaker’s tack being pushed to leeward, this carabiner “trick” might be just what you need.

barnaclebillholcomb@gmail.com

509 993 3214

How Can You Tell If Your Sails Are Worn Out???

One of the quickest ways to estimate if your sails are worn out is to have someone in another boat take some photos of you sailing.  Make sure that the photos show the sails.  Close-hauled or close-reaching probably reveal the most information.  Look closely at the sails in the photos.  Wrinkles in the sail cloth often indicate that the cloth has stretched.  This stretching reduces the efficiency of the sails and can contribute to excessive heeling, slow performance and an inability to point close to the wind.

Take a look at these two photos.  Notice the wrinkles in the sails.  Wrinkles that radiate from the clew corner of a sail indicate that the sail cloth has stretched to the point that the outhaul control line for the main sail and the sheet for the jib will not smooth out the sail.

Are there wrinkles that parallel the leach?  The sail cloth near the leach has stretched so much that the battens no longer support the leach.  The leach may even be curved over one way or the other (hooked).

Wrinkles that are perpendicular to a sail’s luff can sometimes be smoothed out with halyard tension or with a Cunningham or downhaul.  Wrinkles perpendicular to the sail’s foot can often be smoothed out with the clew outhaul  (mainsail) or sheet tension (jib).

The sails in the last photo look smooth and wrinkle free.  These sails will drive the boat efficiently on all points of sail and give the best windward performance.

barnaclebillholcomb@gmail.com

509 993 3214