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Spinnaker Handling - part 1

By Jennie King
Part 2 - Part 3
MR 3513 With spinnaker under full speed. I have now spent three most enjoyable years helping at the Merlin Training Week and have observed that faulty spinnaker systems account for an awful lot of heartache and earache in the boat. Take time to sort out the system so that it is fool proof and working 100% and you will be well on the way to successful spinnaker handling. Good teamwork and communication between the pair of you is the next rule. Just because the helm steers and pulls in the mainsheet shouldn't mean that he/she won't help the crew with the spinnaker. If you watch good teams, you will see that co-ordination between the two is vital for perfect results.

The Merlin spinnaker is symmetrically shaped and classed as a conventional type. It uses a guy and sheet to control sail trim and height is adjusted by the spinnaker pole. The spinnaker is not huge, it is normally cut undersized using the maximum length spinnaker pole (1830mm). Although the Merlin rule is now fifty years old, it is still fulfilling its original aims of providing exciting racing where smaller, lighter crews (especially women) could still be competitive. A spinnaker of moderate dimensions was introduced and in lively conditions there is plenty of power generated. Just look at the picture above.

My first experience of Merlin sailing was at Draycote back in the late 1970's. Draycote had a healthy fleet of Merlins headed up by local hero, Tony Lane. The newest Merlins all had a loose spinnaker pole which fitted cosily under the foredeck. Restraining clips prevented the pole from dropping down into the crew area. Many poles were lost during capsizes and helms often sported black eyes after a spinnaker pole launch or retrieval. These days modern Merlins either use a single, boom mounted pole or a twin pole system where each pole is stowed along the boom.

The spinnaker

The spinnaker is made from lightweight cloth and is designed to be supported at the head and clews. It is unstable when flown, unlike the mainsail and jib. Flying this demanding sail is an art and requires 100% concentration. One second's glance away will almost certainly lead to it's collapse. The very nature of the cloth and its cost requires that the crew should be respectful of the spinnaker. A new spinnaker a season is a necessary luxury in a competitive boat, but careful handling can extend its useful life. Spinnaker rips and tears can be prevented by ensuring that all split pins and rings are covered with plastic tape. This means checking from the head of the spinnaker ie. at the jib head and taping this, down to the bow fitting of the jib. Proceed back into the spinnaker chute and check carefully for places where the spinnaker could be trapped and caught, then back to the kicking strap.

Do check that all sharp protrusions are taped up. Check the spinnaker for tiny rips and patch any immediately with spinnaker repair cloth. Do not stuff a wet spinnaker into its bag at the end of the day, shake off excess water, loosely fold and allow to dry out naturally at home later. Check the rules in the Year Book to ensure that your numbers are legal if you fixed them yourself. Numbers should be completely filled in and match the mainsail that you are using.

Spinnaker halyard

The spinnaker halyard and cleat can normally be operated from the crew and helm positions. The halyard length is critical, too long and it may trip over the bows, too short and the spinnaker will be "sawn" in two. Much better to cut down a generous halyard in stages to find the correct length. A new spinnaker may have the retrieval patch in a different position which can affect the halyard length. Don't throw away a short halyard, attach a piece of line directly onto the patch and then tie this to the halyard with a secure knot (bowline).

Spinnaker sheets

The spinnaker sheets are effectively one continuous rope and depending upon whether it is supporting the luff or the leach of the spinnaker, it is called the guy or the sheet. After a gybe, the "old" guy becomes the "new" sheet and visa versa. Spinnaker sheets should be low stretch to retain spinnaker shape and control, and of narrow diameter so that due to its considerable length they do not retain weight once wet.

The sheets may be tapered, ie. thinner nearer the spinnaker and thicker where it is handled, this will save weight. In my boat we have two sets of sheets, skinny ones for light weather and longer, thicker ones for windy days. The longer sheets enable me to pull most of the spinnaker into the chute before having to drop the pole. Generally, sheets should not be too long. If you notice that the spare sheet is getting wrapped around your feet or the centreboard stops, they are probably too long. Cut them down with caution, remember the halyard tail. If in doubt measure the sheets on another boat but check that you are sheeting back to approximately the same distance.

Unless you have iron hands, it is advisable to wear a good pair of gloves especially with thin spinny sheets. I favour sheets with marks rather than knots to denote cleating positions. As marker pen quickly fades with sunlight and water, I sew in a fragment of brightly coloured spinnaker cloth which can easily be spotted.

Twinning lines

Twinning lines are only really necessary if the spinny sheets are lead well aft in the boat, i.e. behind the helm position. I have used them in "Rising Tsar" at the last Poole championships. The twinning line is located around the shroud area and feeds into the guy and sheet. When cleated on, it stabilises the guy close to boat which is handy if you don't like being garotted round the back of the neck with the guy. The leeward twinner must be uncleated or the spinnaker will be pinned down, not fast!

Spinnaker cleats

The spinnaker cleats should be of a high quality and equally as efficient as the jib cleats. As the crew will be managing the sheeting in of the spinnaker for most of the time, the cleats must be positioned where the crew can easily reach them. The cleat height and angle is especially important, like the jib cleats the spinnaker should be able to drop into and out of the cleat easily. Ratchet blocks are not necessary for the spinnaker.

Spinnaker pole

The spinnaker pole must be lightweight but stiff, light and slim to handle but strong enough to withstand that tight, gusty reach. The pole ends must open and close 100%. Many crews have their particular preference for one type of pole end or centre ramp. Try as many as you can and choose the easiest for you to cope with. Rinse pole ends regularly when in a sea series as they will jam solid with salt water. Use WD40 on an obstinate pole end and always check for smooth operation before every race day. Check the pole release line tension, ideally it should have some rope and some elastic and be tensioned with a little slackness. Check your pole periodically for wear, replace it if stress cracks appear as it will soon break. Handled with consideration, a pole will last for years.

Pole controls

Spinnaker uphaul/downhaul must be solid rope to prevent spinnaker bounce. Banish elastic except for the purposes of tidy-up. The uphaul/ downhaul can be fixed or adjustable. On "Savage", it was fixed which is fine when using one spinnaker and consistently tieing spinny sheets on with a similar bowline. On "Charge", my uphaul/downhaul is adjustable with marks as a guide to cleat to. On the way to the race area, we hoist the kite, check the pole height is correct (spinnaker breaking half way down luff), tighten the downhaul so that I can comfortably clip on the pole, then gybe and re-check on other gybe. This is a routine that should fill you with confidence at the windward mark later when you are in a good position and looking for a perfect spinnaker hoist. The rope ring on the uphaul/downhaul which locates with the centre ramp on the pole needs careful consideration. Too big and the pole passes straight by, and too narrow and it becomes impossible to retrieve the pole. I like mine to be an asymmetric ring so that the narrower side lines up with the ramp and is less likely to miss when launching the pole. Lastly, periodically check the mast fittings of the uphaul, the rivets here take a big load and will give way eventually.

Spinnaker and pole stowage

Only vintage Merlins may possibly not have a spinnaker chute. The spinnaker is normally stowed sitting on top of the bow tank on the port side. If you like to store spare kit, compass, drinks etc under the bow, do make sure it doesn't interfere with the hoisting of the spinnaker. After a drop, do not allow the spinnaker to remain in the crew area, it will inevitably be pulled into jib blocks or the kicking strap. After a spinny drop, the pole should be unclipped from the mast and replaced into the most convenient drain pipe along the boom.

It is always easier to hoist the pole from the side you are facing. For example, port rounding windward mark, pole should be placed along the starboard side of boom.

This concludes the spinnaker system. Until Part Two of The Merlin Spinnaker when I will be discussing the finer points of flying it, here are my top ten tips.

1. Always keep the luff (front edge) curling or about to break.
2. Check spinnaker breaks at mid way point.
3. Spinnaker breaking high - raise the pole height.
4. Spinnaker breaking low - lower the pole height.
5. On a running leg, helm sits to windward, crew to leeward.
6. Crew must always be able to see the spinnaker.
7. If you go for a swim, it's usually quicker to get it down.
8. Devise a spinnaker drill on land, then stick to it on the water every time.
9. Plan ahead and talk to each other.
10. Remember it's teamwork!

Now for part 2




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