I was finally out again in my new used boat, (arthritis finally subsided
enough to use my right hand), wind was light to less than zero!

The boat came with a bag containing a sail marked "Genaker", so I took
the sail out, it seemed to made out of about 1/4 oz cloth, radial on the
top, parallel panels on the bottom, upper corner marked "Head", one
lower corner marked "Clew", other marked "Tack". The tack corner has
about 30 ft of 1/4" nylon cord spliced to it and a two foot length of of
1/2" nylon tape with a snap shackle leading from the same cringle.

I have never used such a sail, I would deeply appreciate it if some kind
soul could tell me the ins and outs of flying such a sail.

I attached the "tack" to my stem fitting with the nylon pendant(?) and
used a piece of 1/4" dacron as a sheet from the clew, the thing seemed
to fly OK, but the wind was so light and fluky that it was somewhat
difficult to tell if I was doing this the right way.

Why is there a such a long piece of line spliced to cringle marked
"tack"?

Cheers
Marty

You want a low stretch pennant.

Here's something interesting

http://www.atninc.com/tacker.html

Infor on the sail and how it is used.

http://na.northsails.com/Cruising_Sails/gennakers.html

Martin Baxter wrote

The boat came with a bag containing a sail marked "Genaker", so I took
the sail out, it seemed to made out of about 1/4 oz cloth, radial on the
top, parallel panels on the bottom, upper corner marked "Head", one
lower corner marked "Clew", other marked "Tack". The tack corner has
about 30 ft of 1/4" nylon cord spliced to it and a two foot length of of
1/2" nylon tape with a snap shackle leading from the same cringle.

I have never used such a sail, I would deeply appreciate it if some kind
soul could tell me the ins and outs of flying such a sail.

I attached the "tack" to my stem fitting with the nylon pendant(?) and
used a piece of 1/4" dacron as a sheet from the clew, the thing seemed
to fly OK, but the wind was so light and fluky that it was somewhat
difficult to tell if I was doing this the right way.

Why is there a such a long piece of line spliced to cringle marked
"tack"?

Cheers
Marty

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 04:37:43 GMT, "Bart Senior"
wrote this crap:

You want a low stretch pennant.

Here's something interesting

http://www.atninc.com/tacker.html

Infor on the sail and how it is used.

http://na.northsails.com/Cruising_Sails/gennakers.html

That G-0 gennaker looks exactly like a sail I got, marked "flasher."

Anybody know the difference?





Pathetic Earthlings! No one can save you now!

Manufacturer= different name, same sail

OT

Martin Baxter wrote:
I was finally out again in my new used boat, (arthritis finally subsided
enough to use my right hand), wind was light to less than zero!

My sympathy on the arthritis. It can be difficult to cope.


The boat came with a bag containing a sail marked "Genaker", so I took
the sail out, it seemed to made out of about 1/4 oz cloth, radial on the
top, parallel panels on the bottom, upper corner marked "Head", one
lower corner marked "Clew", other marked "Tack". The tack corner has
about 30 ft of 1/4" nylon cord spliced to it and a two foot length of of
1/2" nylon tape with a snap shackle leading from the same cringle.

That's the tack pennant, used to control the height of the tack from the
stem head; nylon is not a good choice though. This line can take a great
strain and you don't want it to stretch (unless you enjoy constantly
adjusting it).


I have never used such a sail, I would deeply appreciate it if some kind
soul could tell me the ins and outs of flying such a sail.

I attached the "tack" to my stem fitting with the nylon pendant(?) and
used a piece of 1/4" dacron as a sheet from the clew, the thing seemed
to fly OK, but the wind was so light and fluky that it was somewhat
difficult to tell if I was doing this the right way.

If it was pulling, you're doing it right

I think the snap shackle on the tack is supposed to go to the forestay.

The best point of sail to start out with such critters is with the wind
about fifteen degrees aft of abeam. This will make it easier to set
because the wind will blow it clear of the rig, and will make it easy to
fill when the sheet is trimmed. Ideally, work it to keep a curl on the
luff just like a spinnaker... that can be work though. If the wind is
fairly steady, you can cleat the sheet & work the curl with the helm.

Adjust the tack pennant so that there is a good bit of round projecting
forward of the forestay, if the wind is light & the sail doesn't want to
rise, take a higher reach and keep the tack pennant tighter. If you want
to go further off the wind, ease the tack pennant to get more round and
let the sail float around to windward a bit.

A common temptation is to pull the sheet and tack really tight and try
to point too high with it. You might get the thing pulling well with the
wind somewhat forward of the beam but don't get too happy with it... the
sail can be overtrimmed & kept looking nice & full when it is dragging
the boat straight sideways.

Hope you get a chance to try again soon.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Marty,

First let me "Thank you with all my Heart for a Sailing Topic!"

That long line on the Tack of the Gennaker is there to regulate the
height of the Tack. I run thru a block and back to the cockpit. I secure
it to the stern mooring Cleat. Roughly speaking, The farther downwind
(Running) the higher and forward you want to fly the tack. Marty, It is
a powerful Reaching Sail. That is when you want to lower the Tack
(Flatten) the sail.

Going Downwind, I go Wing-on-wing with the Main and the Clew of the
Gennaker poled out with the whisker pole. This is when you raise the
Tack. The Sail is designed to sail with the Clew higher than the Tack.

I've borrowed the technique of the new racing boats with the extended
poles for flying the sail. I've mounted an eye on the foredeck and a
loop on my anchor roller and extend my Spinnaker poled out past my bow.
I run the Tack pendent thru the eye of the spinnaker pole and back to
the cockpit. Got to make sure Tack Pendent goes over and outside the Bow
Pulpit.

Hope this helps. Its a damn good light air sail. Use it on days like you
described. Once it start to draw it helps the Apparent Wind and is easy
to sail.

Marty, I rig mine with twin sheets in the clew, with the Lazy Sheet
going forward outside of everything. Over the forestay, over the bow
pulpit, outside all stays and riggings. This way when I Gybe, I let go
on the working sheet, let the wind carry the sail foreward of the
forestay, Draw the sail up behind the main and make it fast, Then I Gybe
the main over. This is a Gybe with no one on the foredeck

Post me if I can help

Ole Thom

Martin Baxter wrote:


Thanks to Bart, Thom and Doug for your advice, it appears I was more or
less doing it right, except for allowing the tack to rise.

Special thanks also to Doug, in hind sight I was probably sailing too
close to wind some of the time, and although the sail looked real purdy,
it wasn't doing much!

Cheers
Marty

I'd say a Gennaker works best below ~70 degrees apparent and will pull
even at 60 -but at that point it'll be quite unstable and you should be
switching to a genoa. It's not working too well below 140 apparent
either but at that point you are probably sailing within 20 degrees of
DDW... The big advanatge is that it's much easier to use than a
spinnaker single handed. I use mine in a snuffler by the way.

Cheers

Martin Baxter wrote:

I was finally out again in my new used boat, (arthritis finally subsided
enough to use my right hand), wind was light to less than zero!

The boat came with a bag containing a sail marked "Genaker", so I took
the sail out, it seemed to made out of about 1/4 oz cloth, radial on the
top, parallel panels on the bottom, upper corner marked "Head", one
lower corner marked "Clew", other marked "Tack". The tack corner has
about 30 ft of 1/4" nylon cord spliced to it and a two foot length of of
1/2" nylon tape with a snap shackle leading from the same cringle.

I have never used such a sail, I would deeply appreciate it if some kind
soul could tell me the ins and outs of flying such a sail.

I attached the "tack" to my stem fitting with the nylon pendant(?) and
used a piece of 1/4" dacron as a sheet from the clew, the thing seemed
to fly OK, but the wind was so light and fluky that it was somewhat
difficult to tell if I was doing this the right way.

Why is there a such a long piece of line spliced to cringle marked
"tack"?

Cheers
Marty

Nav,

I too, use a sleeve with my Gennaker.

Ole Thom