Wally wrote:
(Point elswhere about being ahead of the pack is duly noted...) I ain't no
expert (just getting the hang of spinnakers), but it looks to me like the
belly is too high - the creases suggest that the sheet and guy are pulling
the bottom corners in too much. Is the pole long enough? Are the lines
coming down to the rail too far forward? (They come back to the quarters on
the Sonata I'm crewing on.) The leech of the jib seems to be fouling the
spinnaker a little.

The length of the pole is limited by class rule, almost any boat would
be faster (all else being equal) with a longer spinnaker pole. Also the
sheet leads are determined by the boat's length & beam, yes they are at
the quarters. The guy is run down to a reaching cleat just aft of the
windward chainplates, that is cast off in a gybe and the new guy socked
down.

As you and Oz1 suggest, the jib is somewhat in the way (although I could
point out that it is also more sail area, and it's pulling) and usually
they are snugged down to the foredeck. But at the point when this
picture was taken, the spinnaker had just been hoisted and we had other
priorities. With the luff curl up high and the creases from the clew,
the spinnaker is pulling quite well. I generally carry it the pole
higher than most people (except in light air) and find that if you can
keep the sail stabilized, it's faster.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King