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Taming the Spinnaker

by Greg Fisher

Flying the spinnaker often seems critical and in breezy conditions, downright scary. However there are a few guides and techniques that can help with the taming of this somewhat elusive sail.

1) Trim the sheet so that the luff has a slight curl…
The spinnaker trimmer should constantly be trying to ease the sheet of the spinnaker so that the luff (leading edge) will constantly show a 6-10” curl. Without this guide it is tough to tell when the spinnaker is over trimmed. An over trimmed spinnaker will have a “hooked leech” just like a main or jib that is over trimmed and will close the important slot between the main and the leech of the spinnaker. Try to be smooth with the trimming of the sheet. Instead of the jerking the sheet in and out, try to gradually ease in and out with 1-2’ movements.

2) Keep the pole roughly perpendicular to the wind…
Like the sheet, the pole position (the guy) can have a big effect on the trimming and performance of the sheet, and it too needs constant attention. Ideally the pole will be placed so that the pole is nearly perpendicular to the wind. Be conscious of pulling the pole too far aft and over squaring the spinnaker, making it too flat. Also, watch leaving the pole too far forward which will make the spinnaker too full, thereby losing valuable projected area.

A great guide for determining pole position is to place a telltale on the topping lift a foot up from the pole. Don’t ignore the guy…it needs just as much attention as the sheet!

3) Set your pole height so that the two ends are even.
Since most one-design spinnakers (like the Flying Scot) are symmetrical sail should be evenly set. The topping lift should be adjusted often (especially in puffy, shift conditions) so that the two clews (corners) are even. The pole will need to be lowered in lulls and quickly raised back up in puffs. Remember that pole height is based on the shape of the sail NOT on the angle of the pole to the mast or to the forestay.

Often, it becomes difficult for the trimmer (or topping lift adjuster) to see the leeward clew as it is hidden behind the main. In that situation, a great guide (and the most accurate I might add), is to set pole height so that the center seam of the spinnaker (most spinnakers have a seam that runs from the head down to the middle of foot skirt) is parallel to the mast.

Because the pole height needs attention (like the sheet and the guy and especially in light winds) it’s a great idea to have the cleat for the topping lift in a convenient spot for the crew to easily reach.

4) Set the spinnaker halyard set so the spinnaker is 6-8” off the mast.
Keeping the slot between the main and spinnaker open and flowing up high is just as important as down low. Leaving the halyard eased so that head of the spinnaker will float away from the mast will help the spinnaker fly smoother. When sailing dead down wind and in breeze, the head of the spinnaker can rotate a bit to windward slightly and help the spinnaker out from behind the main. On our boat we actually tie a stopper knot in the halyard that stops the spinnaker at right spot for every hoist…and we don’t even have to remember!

5) When the skipper and the trimmer need to work together.
Obviously whenever the skipper needs to alter course (for a mark, for a wave, for a puff or lull…) he should communicate that change before he actually begins. Allowing the trimmer to anticipate the change of course will make his job of keeping the spinnaker set properly much easier. In a puff, if the trimmer eases early (because he is aware of the puff and the ensuing change of course) the skipper can bear off and maintain control much more smoothly. In light winds, or in a lull, a subtle sheet trim as the skipper heads up (but not after!) will keep the boat at top speed.

In addition, the crew needs to communicate their needs as well. In light winds the trimmer should constantly keep the skipper apprised of the pressure they feel in the sheet…If the tension they feel suddenly becomes much lighter in relation to what they had been sensing, they should warn the skipper and the skipper may in turn want to slowly head up (called “heating up”) to build or maintain speed and pressure. Once the pressure on the sheet returns (assuming the wind hasn’t completely died!) the trimmer can encourage the skipper to slowly bear back off (“burning the pressure off”) to a lower, closer course to the mark. For sure, sailing downwind should not be a quiet time- constant chatter is imperative to top performance.

6) When in trouble, dump the spinnaker sheet last!
Its best to do everything you can to keep the boat under control in a puff before easing the sheet way out. Collapsing the spinnaker will greatly slow the boat way down and when it does fill again it can fill with such great force (because the boat is so slow) that the load could easily throw the boat out of control a second, or a third, or a fourth…time.

Instead, make sure every other option is exhausted. The main sheet of course should be eased way out and quickly as the skipper bears off to keep the boat under the spinnaker (never head up in a puff downwind!). Dump the boom vang to completely depower the main. Make sure the centerboard is at the right height…and the helm is neutral (the boat wants to steer a steady course even in a puff). Sometimes on a windy reach, the board may be hoisted as much as halfway or even ¾ of the way up to keep the helm balanced and allow the skipper to steer the boat instead of the boat taking control of the skipper. Finally make sure the boat is very flat as the puff approaches. As a very last resort and only when a capsize in imminent, let the sheet way out. But be sure to only trim it back when the boat is steered lower and balanced.

7) What is the best way to gybe?
Try to decide what is the best method, for you, for gybing the spinnaker and use that method in all conditions. This little trick will eliminate a lot of variables in the “heat of the battle”. In some boats (and I found in the Flying Scot) gybing the spinnaker with the pole still attached (but the old guy is released from the guy hook or the old weather twing is released) works great. After the gybe (the boom has crossed and filled on the new gybe), the foredeck will reach up and remove the pole from the mast, the guy and then reattach to the new guy and then the mast. This way the crew is always to windward when the spinnaker is loaded up.

Some have found that disconnecting the pole from both the mast and the old guy and allowing it to dangle through the gybe works well (our old way in the Flying Scot). This way the pole work is “halfway done” and the gybe is in some ways quicker. This method can work well as long as the pole doesn’t get fouled in the pole lift or the jib if it is still up.

Some even jump right up on the deck in order to gybe the pole as the boat is gibing…for more experienced crews (but not suggested for the Flying Scot) this method can work fine…but make sure you’re wearing non-slip shoes!!

8) How to get it down!?!
After some really great work flying the spinnaker the trickiest part may well be the “retrieval”. The drop can be pretty difficult as the boat slows down as the leeward mark gets closer and the crew prepares for dousing the spinnaker. As a result, in breeze, the boat becomes more loaded and sometimes more unstable.

On most racecourses its best to drop the spinnaker to the windward side so the spinnaker will come back up on the leeward side the next hoist. Sometimes even if the ideal hoist the next time would signal a drop to leeward, it still may be best to drop the spinnaker to windward (and deal with the switch or windward hoist later), for safety’s sake. During a windward drop, the pole is best completely removed and placed back in the cockpit before the drop. Ideally if the boat is sailing dead downwind the spinnaker will remain flying and then the entire team can grab the spinnaker and pull it down together. Leaving the pole up and dangling (but obviously not attached to the guy or the mast) and pulling the spinnaker down around it can, and certainly has been done but it can also lead to a nice tangle and sometimes a ripped spinnaker.

However, when approaching a leeward mark on a windy, tighter reach a leeward drop may be the only way to get the spinnaker down. If it’s lighter wind it’s not a big issue…the crew simply climbs to leeward while the guy and sheet are released (only when the foot is gathered together!) and pulls the spinnaker inside the boat while the halyard is uncleated. But if its windy, and the boat is overpowered sending a crew to leeward asking for a swim. Instead consider nucleating the halyard first. Huh? Yep, this system can work exceptionally well if 1) the halyard is completely free to run ( read previously checked and coiled!), 2) the sheet and the guy remained fully trimmed and its blowing over 10-12mph. The spinnaker will float gracefully out to leeward like a flag barely kissing the water. Since the boat is depowered the crew can now slide to leeward and grab the spinnaker in the middle of the foot skirt. The guy and sheet will be let go and the spinnaker can quickly be gathered into the boat. This is a good one to practice first but with just a little work it can be incredibly smooth.

9) Practice, practice, practice….
As with any technique, practice makes perfect. Give these suggestions a try. Put on an older spinnaker, get out on the water with your team and blast around a practice course until you’re confident! Sailing more controlled, and with more confidence will mean better results AND more fun.

Good luck!

For more information on Flying Scot sails, contact the North Flying Scot experts.