Spinnaker Handling - part 3
By Jennie KingPart 1 - Part 2
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Spinnaker Handling - part 3By Jennie KingPart 1 - Part 2 |
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January 2003 - This article is intended as a supplement to the previous ones about the
Merlin spinnaker, which were printed in the magazine and appear on the
Website, and this one really just tries to bring using the kite a bit more
up to date. At the end I have included a few notes about the new
spinnaker rule, which is "hot off the press". With the new millennium on the horizon, the committee was asked to look at updating the spinnaker. The current spinnaker was felt to be rather small, underpowered and inefficient in the slot. As a 'restricted, development class', after much debate, it was agreed that we would lengthen the spinny poles. You may wonder how this could improve the spinnaker but it was felt that as most spinnakers were made smaller than the allowed area, this new rule might allow one to be made that was bigger, more efficient and still within the rules! Changes affecting the spinnaker and its handling are always sensitive as the Class is protective to include crews of all ages, gender and ability. New length poles shall not exceed 2300mm. (was 1830mm.) The progression to the longer length poles happened quite painlessly, other than having to procure new ones. For many of the top sailors this coincided with a switch to carbon poles at the same time. Any pre-conceived handling problems were soon shelved as these new lightweight poles proved to be simple to use. The mast eye could even be lowered to allow easier clip-on. Most teams opted for the twin pole system for easier handling although a few notable teams have kept to the single pole. An integral part of the system is the spinnaker downhaul adjustment often lead back to the helm and positioned on the back of the centreboard capping - the "tweaker" or "snodger". This allows some flexibility for the crew whilst clipping the pole on and off the mast (tweaker off), and keeps the pole under control and tight to the end of the spinnaker (tweaker on) during sailing. Major changes noted when using the longer length poles: The twin pole system is recommended, (except for the macho Rocky types, of course....) I have used both systems. Using a single "long" pole there are no problems with initial set and hoist, and drop, BUT it can be difficult to man-handle through the gybe on a tight reach-to-reach leg. The forces from the spinnaker at the end of the long pole make loads pretty heavy. The stronger the wind force, the more difficult and slower the gybe set may become. Another potential problem with the single pole is it's habit (whilst pole stowed along boom) of dropping forwards and lying under the puller wire. Fine, until you gybe and find the 'beak" of the pole has just been snapped off! (Pole is now a single-ended single pole!) Twin poles are just quicker, the loads are minimal and damage in use, is limited. With good helm/crew co-ordination, the spinnaker can be hoisted and flying within a few seconds. Unless it's howling, it is possible and recommended for most helms these days to hoist the spinnaker on the reach as well as the run leg. I still don't know how they manage to steer as well I but I'm too busy putting on the pole, to notice! As the helm hoists, the crew is able, after helm has taken second pull on spinny halyard, to attach the pole, take the sheet and you are gone! If the crew is going to hoist, it is now necessary, because of the longer length poles, to pull out masses of spinnaker back along the foredeck, all the way back to the crew area, before the hoist, in order to be able to attach the pole onto the mast. If some spinnaker is not pulled out from the chute, it will be impossible to attach pole to mast. Efficient spinnaker work is all about keeping the spinny under control. Not sure how to fit your poles? Don't try to re-invent the wheel. Copy a tried and tested system. Look at the Winder boats where the spinnaker systems have been designed with the help of Richard Whitworth and Sally Townsend, who are arguably the quickest guys around on spinny handling. Points to look out for: Spinnaker poles should lie horizontally along the boom. This can be achieved by ensuring that your take-off point on the mast is high - roughly at 2790 mm above the upper edge of the lower black band and generally a little above the spreader height. Fit elastic tidy-away lines (anchored at the outboard end of the boom) to each pole to eliminate pole flying back into helm's face. This should stop pole from passing through loose-footed mainsail foot/ mainsheet blocks etc as well. Finally, good spinnaker handling is achieved by:
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