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Basic Spinnaker Tasks

Spinnaker Douse - Updated 6/9/2014

  • Index
  • Launching a Spinnaker
  • Spinnaker Trim
  • End for End Gybe
  • Spinnaker Douse
  • Packing a Spinnaker

    Douse - revised 7/13/2015

    There are several ways to douse a spinnaker. One is to release the guy (either by releasing the line itself or by tripping the snap shackle on the pole end), let the sail fly forward, and pull it into the cabin thought hatch or into the cockpit. The other is to pull the sail under the jib and keep it on the foredeck. The former method can work in high winds when the second method will not work. But keeping the sail on the foredeck and stuffing it down the hatch has its advantages. For example, it is possible to launch a second time directly from the hatch stuffed sail. This might be required in light shifty winds. The discussion below is of the douse under the jib method because that is what we used on Lazy Lightning most of the time.

    As far as I can tell, there are at lease as many ways to douse a spinnaker as there are people writing about how to do it. This is by no means the only way to do it. It has the advantage of keeping the sail dry and ready to launch again. The important thing to remember is that this is a team sport. You as skipper can decide which play to run and let your crew work out the details of how they will do it, but everyone needs to run the same play. You can't have the foredeck ready to bring the sail down the hatch and have the guy trimmer cut the guy. Conversely, you can't have everyone set up to do this method and have the foredeck waiting for the guy to be released. Decide what you are going to do, practice, and get everyone working together.

    UPDATE: Turns out this is not the most popular method of dousing a spinnaker. This method is called "Stretch and Blow". HERE is a writeup on the Leeward spinnaker drop method. It includes a short description of the windward drop as well.

    • Bowman
      1. Raise the jib
      2. Open the hatch.
      3. Grab the spinnaker under the jib but over the lifeline and pull it onboard. Don't fall down the hatch.
      4. Get on the windward side of the hatch so that as you pull the sail down, the hatch will be in front of you.
      5. Stuff the sail down the hatch.
      6. Grab whatever part of the sail is lose or full. If you are stepping on part of the sail, grab something else. Get the entire sail below deck. The object is to bring the body of the sail down evenly so that as the halyrad is lowered against the pull of the bowman, none of the sail is full enough to get wet. You need to position yourself so that you can stuff the sail below deck as it is being brought in. This means pulling the foot of the sail over to the hatch and positioning yourself with the hatch in front of you. With a large sail, you cannot get it on deck and then put it below deck. If there is extra crew, put someone below deck as a sewerman to help get the sail below as it is dropped. EDIT: I said pull the foot of the sail but the foot will be tight because the sheet and guy are keeping it against the hull. What you need to do is reach up and grab above the foot and bring the body of the sail over to and down the hatch. The foot is thus secure which helps keep the saiil out of the water. In this method, the foot is the last part of the sail to go below.
      7. Once the head is below deck, call for the sheet then the guy to be eased and stuff the rest of the sail below deck.
      8. Go below and re-stuff the sail for the next downwind leg.
      9. Optionally, the sail can be re-launched right from the hatch.
    • Pitman
      1. Prepare for the upwind leg by taking in on the Cunningham and the outhaul
      2. Bring the pole all the way forward and down to the deck working with the guy trimmer.
      3. Go to the halyard and prepare to slowly lower the sail as the bowman takes it in. Note, that the initial drop might be 5 to 10 feet to deflate the spinnaker but after that the bowman is pulling the halyard down against the light touch of the pitman.
      4. With external halyards, be careful not to let the halyard wrap around the spreaders.
    • Squrril - from below under the forward hatch, pull the sail down assisting the pitman in getting it below quickly.
    • Guy trimmer
      1. Ease the guy to bring the pole forward almost to the forestay
      2. After the spinnaker is down and the sheet is attached to the pulpet, take out the slack and cleat it off.
    • Sheet trimmer
      1. As the jib is raised, trim the jib and cleat it off. It needs to be in tight enough so that the bowman can reach the sail, but not so tight that he cannot get his hand under the sail.
      2. Pull the spinnaker sheet in to bring the sail to the boat so that the bowman can reach it.
      3. When the bowman needs to pull in the foot of the sail, ease the spin sheet but keep the spinnaker out of the water.
      4. When the spinnaker is below, sheet in the jib for the new course.
      5. After the spinnaker is below and the sheet is attached to the pulpet, take in the slack and cleat it off.
    • Mainsheet trimmer - Keep the main out shielding the spinnaker and bring it in as the boat heads up on the new course
    • Helmsman - Calls the douse and heads up on the new course

    Here is a douse. Notice that the halyard is let down slowly, almost making the foredeck yell for it. This is important to keep the sail out of the water.

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