Basic Spinnaker Tasks

Launching a Spinnaker - Updated 6/9/2014

Launch

The launch involves the entire crew and everyone needs to do their job to keep the spinnaker from twisting or otherwise fouling up. This description covers raising the spinnaker under the jib where the spinnaker will be flown on the same tack as before the set. This is the simplest and most common. If there is a gybe required, you can still use this method by gybing the jib first to get on your downwind course, or gybing the spinnaker after the set.

Bowman - This is where the bowman works the hardest. Things must be down quickly and accurately.
1. The spinnaker is brought on deck and placed on the rail near the jib.
2. The pole is put on the mast and will be on the windward side
3. Spinnaker guy is fed through the jaw of the pole and led around the forestay, under the foot of the jib, and attached to the corresponding clew of the spinnaker.
4. Spinnaker sheet is taken off the pulpit and attached to its clew.
5. Spinnaker halyard is taken aft on the outside of the jib, fed under the jib and attached to the head of the spinnaker.
6. Make sure everything feeds correctly as the spinnaker is raised
7. Take the jib down.
8. Flake the jib. If it needs to go below, roll it up neatly for storage. Don't just stuff it below.
Pitman - Positions the pole and raises the halyard.
1. Once the guy is fed through the pole, the pole is raised to the predetermined height.
2. Foreguy is set so that the pole is tight just aft of the forestay.
3. Raise the halyard. Note that as the bowman hooks up the halyard to the spinnaker slack must be given. If there are external halyards it is a huge problem to keep the halyard (part from mast to deck) from wrapping around the spreaders. Tension must be kept on the halyard to prevent this from happening. This is not such a problem with internal halyards.
4. Take in the twing so that the guy leads from midship
5. Lower the jib halyard as the bowman takes down the jib.
6. Ease the Cunningham and the outhaul for the downwind leg.
Guy trimmer
1. Release the guy from the cleat so that it can be attached to the spinnaker
2. Take tension out of the guy before the halyard is raised pre-feeding the sail so that the pole cannot hit the forestay.
3. Once the spinnaker is up, bring the pole back to its correct position and trim.
Sheet trimmer
1. Take in slack on the sheet after it is attached to the clew.
2. As the spinnaker is raised, the sheet needs to be taken in about half way. There is a balance here. It has to come back enough so that the sail is full enough that it will not to wrap on the way up but not back so much that the sail fills before it is all the way up making it very difficult to get it all the way up.
3. When the halyard is all the way up, trim the spinnaker, along with the guy trimmer, to fill it.
Mainsheet trimmer lets the main out so that it shields the spinnaker during the set
Helmsman - steers the boat downwind then to the course after the spinnaker is set.

This video was taken during a race on Lazy Lightning. Having already clinched the series on this last race, things are not real snappy but you can see all the steps clearly. The pole is set up and then the guy is taken through the jaw of the pole, around the forestay, and clipped onto what will be the spinnaker tack. Then the sheet is unclipped from the pulpit and clipped on the clew. Finally, the spin halyard is unclipped from the pulpit and brought under the jib and clipped on the head. The pole guy is brought back to "pre feed" the tack. This keeps the pole off the forestay. The sheet is brought back part way as the spinnaker is hoisted. Finally the jib is lowered and the spinnaker trimmed for the new course.

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