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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Spinnaker basics

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TRogers
1st Mate

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USA
90 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/23/2006 : 21:21:25

A beautiful day for sailing on Lake Pend Orielle on Sunday with my 11 year old son.. Light wind. Not too hot. Shadowed some of the racers on the course taking particular delight in watching their spinnakers bloom like flowers in the Spring as they rounded the mark and headed downwin.

Then the wind turned extremely light So, I decided what the heck, my plan is to actually learn how to use my spinnaker this summer. With winds this light, I couldn't get into too much trouble. After getting confused and figuring out which rope to pull to get the sock to work properly, I experimented a little in flying it without the spinnaker pole and actually got us moving about two knots (I was doing about a 1/2 knot with the genoa). I'm quite sure I didn't do everything correctly, but such a light wind is pretty forgiving.

Quizzed my brother who owns a 39 foot Pearson on the subject. When I mentioned a spinnaker down haul (which my boat seems to be lacking), he commented that he was surprised that a 25 footer needed one. He indicated that he didn't have one either, but probably could have used if from time to time. Seems like all the info I've seen in the Catalina 25 manuals shows a down haul (Is that correct term - the line that keeps the pole from rising too high?).

Do all you truly knowledgeable people out there use a down haul or just a "lifting line" for the pole (OK, what't the correct terminology? ).

Tom Rogers
Tack n Two
Spokane, WA

Edited by - TRogers on 05/23/2006 21:22:39

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/23/2006 : 21:31:13

Downhaul in most cases is probably a 50-50 type of thing for boats our size. We made do with a bungee from the tabernacle to the lower bridle to keep the bounce out.

The position of the guy and relative twing (or tweaker) line is usually enough downforce for the pole as well.

You won't normally find one on a J-22; you will on a J-24 so we are right in that range...

I use a downhaul, especially in heavy air.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2006 : 06:47:37

Sock...pole? those two words do not belong together. Socks are for Asyms, poles are for Syms. I am confused.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2006 : 09:45:20

Good catch Frank. Something felt odd about that post I just didn't pickup on it.

Is your spinnaker an asymetrical Tom?

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2006 : 12:01:17

I have several lines for controlling the spin.

What you refer to as a downhaul is actually the foreguy. This should pull the pole bridle down and forward. The pole lift line pulls the pole bridle up.

You'll need one if setting spin in winds over 10. Otherwise the pole will be lifting sky high. Of course you can always improvise something (bungee, rope to pulpit or lifelines).

I have a stainless u bolt through bolted through the foredeck into the V berth. I have a block pivoting on that. A 5/16 line with a clip on one end connects to the pole bridle. This line is led aft to a jamb cleat on the port side.

Easy and cheap to do it right, save yourself problems during a race or if the wind pipes up.

Spinnaker in a turtle bag on the bow. I clip to the lifelines. Boat course is off the wind.

Spin sheets pre run outside of everything. Run one right around the forestay and clip together.

All 3 spin lines led aft (halyard, foreguy, pole lift).

Pole on deck, one end in the mast, steady with pole lift. Run windward sheet through pole end, around and outside of foreguy. Clip to spin tack/clew.

Lazy sheet cliped to other spin tack/clew.

Clip on spin halyard.

Genoa down (much easier to learn to do it with genny down). Later you can move on to bear-away and gybe sets with genoa up.

Pole up! Always set pole to windward. Pole most likely all the way forward for the set. Set mast pole height. Pole is level, over the pulpit, off the forestay, with the spin sheet through the eye.

Pre feed! (pull a little foot of the sail out of the bag with the sheets).

Spin up - in your case sausage up.

Trim pole. This is where foreguy comes in. With a foreguy and a lift you can set the pole exactly where you want it. Both my lift and guy go to jamb cleats in the cockpit.

Trim sheets. I run my sheets through blocks aft and to the jib winches although I have jamb cleats on the combing, too. Often the lazy sheet can just be jambed.

3 man job, two with autopilot although I can do it single handed with all lines led aft.

Gybing - easy. Boat downwind. Pole 90 degrees to mast. Always stand BEHIND sheets near mast. Blow windward sheet out of the pole. Ease Foredeck guy grabs lazy sheet, disconnects pole from mast, clips that end to lazy sheet, brings other end of the pole to mast. Yells "Made!"

Dousing - easy (for you). Blow pole. Pull up sausage. Drop sausage on deck. Unhook sheets. Store pole. Up Jib!

For the rest of us, boat downwind, ease sheets, foredeck guy grabs foot of sail, ease halyard, pull sail onto deck. For me I usually douse into cabin and repack turtle bag.

Don't forget to run halyard to bow pulpit and clip sheets around forestay for next hoist. I leave my foreguy on the pole at all times so I can't ever lose pole overboard.

I store pole between cabin and shrouds with forward end cliped to a loop of line on the tail of the bow pulpit.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2006 : 20:10:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 Sock...pole? those two words do not belong together. Socks are for Asyms, poles are for Syms. I am confused.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

According to ATN, maker of the ATN Spinnaker sock, the sock can be used with any spinnaker, reacher, gennaker, MPS, screecher or mizzenstaysail.

[url="http://www.chutescoop.com/PoledOpsPage.htm"]Instructions for using a Chutescoop with a Poled Spinnaker[/url]

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2006 : 21:06:42

I went to a seminar this spring where they explained using a sock with a sym...
Might get one some time this summer, If I do, I let you know how it works.

Edited by - on

TRogers
1st Mate

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USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2006 : 07:52:19

Spinnaker is a sym. I bought the sock used from a neighbor in the marina while knowing just about -0- about spinnakers. It worked very nicely when I tried it poleless so I wouldn't call it a totally misdirected investment.

However, Bill Holcomb came and inspected what I had and advised me that the spinnaker pole that came with the boat is too short. It can actually pass inside of the forestay. Appears that a PO must have purchased it used from someone not realizing that it was too small. Was also missing the foreguy bridle.

So I guess I'm in the market now for the correct size pole.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2006 : 15:48:42

Small pole might not kill you....

However - look for a pole off an older boat that you might be able to cut down.

Also, take a look in the tech tips section I have a right up on spinaker rigging and there was also a recent racing post in the Capri section about Spinnaker handling.

dw

Edited by - on

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.