Spinnaker launcher
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Matt Haberman
- Administrator
- Posts: 602
- Joined: November 10th, 2003, 8:22 pm
- Location: Minnesota
- Contact:
Eric,
I think your going to find that the answer to your question is probably no. The only boat that I have sailed on with a snuffer is the 17 and personally I could take it or leave it.
There were some benefits, but there were also some drawbacks to having the snuffer. The two main benifit was that I could pretty much drop the spinnaker on either tack without any major hassles and the tramp was less crowded without the spinnaker bag. The two drawbacks were that it was pretty hard on the spinnaker cloth when you pulled it back in and most cases we were slower on our takedown.
I have pretty much refined my takedown procedure to an art. I can get the spinnaker down and packed in the tramp bag in around 45-60 seconds, but the more important fact is that I go from a "trimmed" spinnaker to having it on the tramp in about 10 seconds. This means we can leave the spinnaker up and trimmed until were only a few boat lengths from the leeward mark. I will drop the spinnaker and as soon as it is on the tramp we will jibe and start heading upwind while I finish packing it in the bag. This allows us to keep our boat speed longer without slowing down while I reel the spinnaker into the snuffer. The snuffer also takes about 45-60 seconds to douse the spinnaker, but during the time you have to be headed down wind and really cannot jibe and start upwind again, that means you have to start the douse several boat lengths farther away from the mark.
The other problem you might run into is that the spinnaker is quite large on the 21 and it might be difficult to pull it into a snuffer. The 17 spinnaker can be a real workout when pulling it into the snuffer, so just remember that the spinnaker on the 17 is similar in size to the I20 spinnaker, and your 21 spinnaker is quite a bit larger so you might have a real job pulling it back in.
If you thinking about putting a snuffer on your boat, there are several photos of the system we used on the 17 located here http://www.aquarius-sail.com/images/arc ... naker.html. We fabricated all of the parts and you should talk with Tom and Bill if your considering it.
I think your going to find that the answer to your question is probably no. The only boat that I have sailed on with a snuffer is the 17 and personally I could take it or leave it.
There were some benefits, but there were also some drawbacks to having the snuffer. The two main benifit was that I could pretty much drop the spinnaker on either tack without any major hassles and the tramp was less crowded without the spinnaker bag. The two drawbacks were that it was pretty hard on the spinnaker cloth when you pulled it back in and most cases we were slower on our takedown.
I have pretty much refined my takedown procedure to an art. I can get the spinnaker down and packed in the tramp bag in around 45-60 seconds, but the more important fact is that I go from a "trimmed" spinnaker to having it on the tramp in about 10 seconds. This means we can leave the spinnaker up and trimmed until were only a few boat lengths from the leeward mark. I will drop the spinnaker and as soon as it is on the tramp we will jibe and start heading upwind while I finish packing it in the bag. This allows us to keep our boat speed longer without slowing down while I reel the spinnaker into the snuffer. The snuffer also takes about 45-60 seconds to douse the spinnaker, but during the time you have to be headed down wind and really cannot jibe and start upwind again, that means you have to start the douse several boat lengths farther away from the mark.
The other problem you might run into is that the spinnaker is quite large on the 21 and it might be difficult to pull it into a snuffer. The 17 spinnaker can be a real workout when pulling it into the snuffer, so just remember that the spinnaker on the 17 is similar in size to the I20 spinnaker, and your 21 spinnaker is quite a bit larger so you might have a real job pulling it back in.
If you thinking about putting a snuffer on your boat, there are several photos of the system we used on the 17 located here http://www.aquarius-sail.com/images/arc ... naker.html. We fabricated all of the parts and you should talk with Tom and Bill if your considering it.
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Matt Haberman
- Administrator
- Posts: 602
- Joined: November 10th, 2003, 8:22 pm
- Location: Minnesota
- Contact:
Eric,
We made the spinnaker bag. It is a square bag made from waterproff material and has a semi-circular opening in the top of it. The cover on the bag zips down the two sides and has a velcro closure at the back. I usually leave the outboard zipper closed and only open the inboard zipper, this leaves me a triangular opening that I can "stuff" the sail into very quickly and then I only have to worry about closing one zipper.
Sorry I don't have any pictures of one right now.
We made the spinnaker bag. It is a square bag made from waterproff material and has a semi-circular opening in the top of it. The cover on the bag zips down the two sides and has a velcro closure at the back. I usually leave the outboard zipper closed and only open the inboard zipper, this leaves me a triangular opening that I can "stuff" the sail into very quickly and then I only have to worry about closing one zipper.
Sorry I don't have any pictures of one right now.
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Matt Haberman
- Administrator
- Posts: 602
- Joined: November 10th, 2003, 8:22 pm
- Location: Minnesota
- Contact:
Eric,
I typically handle everything relating to the spinnaker hoisting and takedown leaving the skipper with the sole responsibility of steering. In the past we have tried having the skipper hoist the sail and control/feed the halyard during the takedown, but I have found that I have more control if I do it all myself.
The problem you run into when the skipper hoists the sail is two fold:
#1 they have to let go of the tiller to hoist hand over hand, this allows the boat to round up and by the time the head of the sail is at the top, the boat is usually headed too high to easily pull the tack out to the end of the pole. #2 is that if the spinnaker gets snagged, the skipper usually cannot see this and just keeps trying to pull. If the crew is hoisting, they can see the problem sooner and remedy it before things get really tangled.
Now mind you that we don’t head straight down wind during the hoist, If you head too deep the head of the sail will stay too close to the mast and is more prone to snagging on the sidestays and trapeze wires. As soon as the head is all the way up and cleated off the skipper can head the boat down a little bit to ease the loads while pulling the tack to the end of the pole. Once the tack is at the end of the pole he can start heading back up to trim and get the spinnaker to fill.
During the takedown I personally like pulling the tack and clew back onto the boat and then "cutting" the halyard loose and pretty much letting the sail free fall as I pull it back on the boat. You can have the skipper feed the line out, but I always felt like I was pulling it faster then he could feed it too me which was frustrating. I suppose one could say that having the skipper control the halyard during takedown is a "Take it or leave it" type routine. In lieu of having the skipper feed the spinnaker halyard during the takedown, you could drop the tail of the halyard through the middle of the tramp and let it trail in the water. With a stopper ball on the end of the halyard this will cause a slight drag on the line and help to slowdown the dropping of the sail, it also helps to keep the tangles out of the line.
Here is our procedure for hoisting the spinnaker:
1) Pull the forward trapeze line back and hook it on the sidestay lever. (this will keep it out of your way)
2) Unzip inboard edge of bag and remove the spinnaker, pile it up in the corner of the tramp by the main beam.
3) Hoist head about 4 feet off deck and hold with left hand while holding halyard with right hand.
4) “Toss” head of sail out side of boat and start pulling the halyard “hand over hand”
5) Once halyard is at top make sure it is secure and then start pulling the tack line “hand over hand”
6) Once tack is at the end of the pole make sure it is secure and then sheet in!
Here is our procedure for the takedown:
1) Pull the forward trapeze line back and hook it on the sidestay lever.
2) Drop on the same side as you hoisted it on.
3) Grab the clew and pull it on the boat.
4) Uncleat the tack line and pull the sail in so you have both the tack and clew in your hands.
5) Cut the halyard loose and pull the entire sail down onto the tramp.
6) Stuff it in the bag and zip it up!
You can also drop the sail on the opposite tack from what you hoisted it on. This can get a little tricky, but isn’t too bad with a little practice.
1) Bring boat to the verge of a jibe.
2) Pull clew to windward side and get it in your hand.
3) Cut the tack line loose and pull the sail in so you have both tack and clew in your hands.
4) Round back to windward slowly (remember you didn’t jibe)
5) Cut the spinnaker halyard loose, once the head is below the spreaders the skipper can harden up and start heading up wind.
6) Pull the sail back on the tramp and get it in the bag.
If the skipper pays attention to what is going on outside the boat (other boats, marks, etc.) and maintains a decent downwind heading during the hoist and takedown it makes the job of the crew much easier. By knowing what's going on around the boat they can avoid sudden course changes or at least give the crew enough time to prepare for the change. Keeping a good downwind heading is important, but even more important is paying attention to where in the hoisting / takedown procedure the crew is and adjusting the course heading as necessary to make the job easier.
You will have to find out what works best for you, for instance you might find that the skipper needs to control the spinnaker halyard during the takedown because your crew isn't strong enough to pull the sail back on the boat with one arm while cutting the halyard loose with the other.
My best suggestion is to get on the water and practice, practice, practice. Consider going out and doing some sort of drill like Hoist - Jibe - Jibe - Takedown, then head back upwind and repeat. You need to practice until everything is second nature so if you do run into a problem, like a tight mark rounding with other boats, your able to keep your head outside the boat while your crew is taking the spinnaker down on "autopilot". Get out and practice and make sure you practice a few hoists, jibes and takedowns before the start of every race to make sure everything is untangled since the last time you sailed and so the routine is fresh in your mind.
I will try and get a photo of our spinnaker bag this weekend to post, but in the mean time I hope this helps!
I typically handle everything relating to the spinnaker hoisting and takedown leaving the skipper with the sole responsibility of steering. In the past we have tried having the skipper hoist the sail and control/feed the halyard during the takedown, but I have found that I have more control if I do it all myself.
The problem you run into when the skipper hoists the sail is two fold:
#1 they have to let go of the tiller to hoist hand over hand, this allows the boat to round up and by the time the head of the sail is at the top, the boat is usually headed too high to easily pull the tack out to the end of the pole. #2 is that if the spinnaker gets snagged, the skipper usually cannot see this and just keeps trying to pull. If the crew is hoisting, they can see the problem sooner and remedy it before things get really tangled.
Now mind you that we don’t head straight down wind during the hoist, If you head too deep the head of the sail will stay too close to the mast and is more prone to snagging on the sidestays and trapeze wires. As soon as the head is all the way up and cleated off the skipper can head the boat down a little bit to ease the loads while pulling the tack to the end of the pole. Once the tack is at the end of the pole he can start heading back up to trim and get the spinnaker to fill.
During the takedown I personally like pulling the tack and clew back onto the boat and then "cutting" the halyard loose and pretty much letting the sail free fall as I pull it back on the boat. You can have the skipper feed the line out, but I always felt like I was pulling it faster then he could feed it too me which was frustrating. I suppose one could say that having the skipper control the halyard during takedown is a "Take it or leave it" type routine. In lieu of having the skipper feed the spinnaker halyard during the takedown, you could drop the tail of the halyard through the middle of the tramp and let it trail in the water. With a stopper ball on the end of the halyard this will cause a slight drag on the line and help to slowdown the dropping of the sail, it also helps to keep the tangles out of the line.
Here is our procedure for hoisting the spinnaker:
1) Pull the forward trapeze line back and hook it on the sidestay lever. (this will keep it out of your way)
2) Unzip inboard edge of bag and remove the spinnaker, pile it up in the corner of the tramp by the main beam.
3) Hoist head about 4 feet off deck and hold with left hand while holding halyard with right hand.
4) “Toss” head of sail out side of boat and start pulling the halyard “hand over hand”
5) Once halyard is at top make sure it is secure and then start pulling the tack line “hand over hand”
6) Once tack is at the end of the pole make sure it is secure and then sheet in!
Here is our procedure for the takedown:
1) Pull the forward trapeze line back and hook it on the sidestay lever.
2) Drop on the same side as you hoisted it on.
3) Grab the clew and pull it on the boat.
4) Uncleat the tack line and pull the sail in so you have both the tack and clew in your hands.
5) Cut the halyard loose and pull the entire sail down onto the tramp.
6) Stuff it in the bag and zip it up!
You can also drop the sail on the opposite tack from what you hoisted it on. This can get a little tricky, but isn’t too bad with a little practice.
1) Bring boat to the verge of a jibe.
2) Pull clew to windward side and get it in your hand.
3) Cut the tack line loose and pull the sail in so you have both tack and clew in your hands.
4) Round back to windward slowly (remember you didn’t jibe)
5) Cut the spinnaker halyard loose, once the head is below the spreaders the skipper can harden up and start heading up wind.
6) Pull the sail back on the tramp and get it in the bag.
If the skipper pays attention to what is going on outside the boat (other boats, marks, etc.) and maintains a decent downwind heading during the hoist and takedown it makes the job of the crew much easier. By knowing what's going on around the boat they can avoid sudden course changes or at least give the crew enough time to prepare for the change. Keeping a good downwind heading is important, but even more important is paying attention to where in the hoisting / takedown procedure the crew is and adjusting the course heading as necessary to make the job easier.
You will have to find out what works best for you, for instance you might find that the skipper needs to control the spinnaker halyard during the takedown because your crew isn't strong enough to pull the sail back on the boat with one arm while cutting the halyard loose with the other.
My best suggestion is to get on the water and practice, practice, practice. Consider going out and doing some sort of drill like Hoist - Jibe - Jibe - Takedown, then head back upwind and repeat. You need to practice until everything is second nature so if you do run into a problem, like a tight mark rounding with other boats, your able to keep your head outside the boat while your crew is taking the spinnaker down on "autopilot". Get out and practice and make sure you practice a few hoists, jibes and takedowns before the start of every race to make sure everything is untangled since the last time you sailed and so the routine is fresh in your mind.
I will try and get a photo of our spinnaker bag this weekend to post, but in the mean time I hope this helps!
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Matt Haberman
- Administrator
- Posts: 602
- Joined: November 10th, 2003, 8:22 pm
- Location: Minnesota
- Contact:
Spinnaker Bag Photos
Eric,
Here are a few photographs of the spinnaker bag were using.
Here are a few photographs of the spinnaker bag were using.
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thommerrill
- Professional
- Posts: 113
- Joined: November 23rd, 2003, 9:15 pm
- Boat Make/Model: ARC22,FMS20,F25c
- Location: Dallas, Tx