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Onboard SPINNAKER PART 1 SEAMANSHIP . VOYAGES . EQUIPMENT Fly your spinnaker!


Scared of your spinnaker? It’s not simple, but keep a cool head and you can conquer that kite. Follow Niki Perryman’s three-part course to fun flying.


H


ow often have you looked at that old spinnaker in the sail-locker and thought, “I should fly that thing one of these days…”? Somehow, the time is never right. There’s


too much wind, or none at all. You’re in a hurry, there are only two of you – and what if it all goes wrong? You’ve seen those shots of racing boats in mid-broach with kites bellied out of control – enough to put anyone off. Take heart. If you’re on the water for the sheer joy of sailing, with no trophy to win, spinnakers can be a lot of fun. On Siandra we throw one up whenever conditions permit. It adds a knot to our boatspeed in light airs and turns a yawn of a drift into a rewarding run. With a few tips and a little practice, you’ll soon be hoisting the spinnaker as readily as any other sail in your locker.


WHAT SORT OF KITE DO YOU HAVE? Pull the spinnaker out of its bag. If possible, spread it out on a lawn, so you can see the sail in its entirety and check for any rips or broken stitching that may need repair before you hoist.


Do you have a traditional spinnaker, or a cruising ’chute? A traditional spinnaker is symmetrical (see right): you can fold it down the vertical centreline and both


luffs will be the same length. Cruising ’chutes, on the other hand, are asymmetrical, rather like large-bellied loose-luffed genoas cut from spinnaker cloth. A cruising ’chute is designed for reaching and does not require a pole, while a traditional spinnaker does need a pole, but can be used on all points of the wind between a beam reach and a square run. In this series, we focus on flying a conventional, symmetrical spinnaker, but many of the principles also apply to a cruising ’chute.


NAMING OF PARTS With your kite spread out, identify the head and write ‘HEAD’ somewhere close to the eye using a permanent marker pen. This helps to avoid the embarrassment of hoisting your spinnaker upside down.


Ideal conditions for your first hoist: light breeze, flat water, minimal traffic and plenty of space.


60 CLASSIC BOAT JULY 2011


What colour edging tape has been used for the foot and each luff? Some sailmakers use red and green tapes for the luffs and white for the foot, but there are many variations. If the foot-tape is the same colour as the luffs, or you think you’ll forget which is which, write ‘FOOT’ on the appropriate tape a few inches from each clew. This helps when packing the spinnaker.


Which spinnaker? Traditional (left) is symmetrical. Cruising ’chute (right) is not


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