"Wally" wrote in message
. ..
Donal wrote:

I've never flown my spinaker when sailing solo, and I've only flown
it once when I had the family as crew.

There is a lot of foredeck work involved, and IMHO, a snuffer is
useless.

I'm not sure what a snuffer is...

Here is a description of one...

http://www.northsails.co.uk/sails/snuffer/snuffer.htm


On the Sonata I crewed on last year, we
had a sock that led from a hatch in the foredeck, down into the cabin. I
liked that set up - I just had to help the spinnaker down, while the
cockpit
crew pulled it into the sock.

I'm not sure that you are describing the same thing.

In my experience, it is less hassle to let the sheet fly and haul the
spinaker down through the companionway as quick as possible. However, I
only have experience on a 33 foot Beneteau ... It might be a different story
on other boats.

regards


Donal
--

We typically brought it through the forward hatch rather than the
companionway. Otherwise, you have a better chance of snagging it on
something.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Donal" wrote in message
...

"Wally" wrote in message
. ..
Donal wrote:

I've never flown my spinaker when sailing solo, and I've only flown
it once when I had the family as crew.

There is a lot of foredeck work involved, and IMHO, a snuffer is
useless.

I'm not sure what a snuffer is...

Here is a description of one...

http://www.northsails.co.uk/sails/snuffer/snuffer.htm


On the Sonata I crewed on last year, we
had a sock that led from a hatch in the foredeck, down into the cabin. I
liked that set up - I just had to help the spinnaker down, while the
cockpit
crew pulled it into the sock.

I'm not sure that you are describing the same thing.

In my experience, it is less hassle to let the sheet fly and haul the
spinaker down through the companionway as quick as possible. However, I
only have experience on a 33 foot Beneteau ... It might be a different
story
on other boats.

regards


Donal
--

Donal wrote:

I'm not sure what a snuffer is...

Here is a description of one...
http://www.northsails.co.uk/sails/snuffer/snuffer.htm

Aye, that's what I was thinking - a thingy at the top of the mast that gets
pulled down. My first inclination is to be less than keen on it.


On the Sonata I crewed on last year, we
had a sock that led from a hatch in the foredeck, down into the
cabin. I liked that set up - I just had to help the spinnaker down,
while the cockpit crew pulled it into the sock.

I'm not sure that you are describing the same thing.

Nope, quite the opposite, if anything.


In my experience, it is less hassle to let the sheet fly and haul the
spinaker down through the companionway as quick as possible.
However, I only have experience on a 33 foot Beneteau ... It might be
a different story on other boats.

I can't say, since the sock on the Sonata is the only spinnaker stuff I've
done. When it works smoothly, it's very fast and slick. We used it for
racing, where it's rather imperative to get the jenny up and the spinnaker
down in short order (to maintain speed for as long as possible on approach
to a mark, and then be setting the jenny for the next point of sail as we
round the mark). I can't help feeling that the spinnaker filling up the
companionway would get in the way, especially if the race conditions were
such that we had to tack/gybe in the middle of our rounding maneuvre. Having
the spinnaker stowed as an intrinsic part of dropping it means that the
decks are clear right away, so emergency maneuvres are easier to deal with.

I guess this stuff isn't so critical for cruising, but what little cruising
I've done was done on the same boat, so I never really thought about doing
it another way. :-)


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com/FiatPandaRally/index.htm
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Donal,

I believe you are talking about a full spinnaker with tack and sheets
and spinnaker pole

We are discussing a different breed here. the tack stays attached and
the clew is tacked, rather like a Jenny. It isn't a tack it is a Gybe
but only the clew comes across. Because it is downwind I run two sheets
to the clew. The working sheet I run around my stern docking Cleat and
back up to the sheet winch. The Lazy sheet I run outside the lee side of
the sail, forward of the forestay and outside of everything. Pulpit,
shrouds, lifelines and back to the other stern docking cleat (Nothing
on them while sailing)

Donal, when I Gybe no one leaves the cockpit, I head downwind but not
enough to gybe the main. Let go the working sheet, letting the spinning
fly forward of the stay, sail slightly windward (Actually to sail inside
the spinnaker, pull the lazy sheet and sail into the shadow of the main
and set the sheet. Then I gybe the main by sailing thru the wind,
filling the spinnaker and continuing the main gybe .

No one one the foredeck. With the Auto Pilot its a one man operation.




http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomsPage

"Thom Stewart" wrote in message
...
Donal,

I believe you are talking about a full spinnaker with tack and sheets
and spinnaker pole

Yes, I was. All the photos on the site that Scotty posted a link to show a
spinnaker pole.


We are discussing a different breed here. the tack stays attached and
the clew is tacked, rather like a Jenny. It isn't a tack it is a Gybe
but only the clew comes across. Because it is downwind I run two sheets
to the clew. The working sheet I run around my stern docking Cleat and
back up to the sheet winch. The Lazy sheet I run outside the lee side of
the sail, forward of the forestay and outside of everything. Pulpit,
shrouds, lifelines and back to the other stern docking cleat (Nothing
on them while sailing)

That sounds like a "cruising chute".


Donal, when I Gybe no one leaves the cockpit, I head downwind but not
enough to gybe the main. Let go the working sheet, letting the spinning
fly forward of the stay, sail slightly windward (Actually to sail inside
the spinnaker, pull the lazy sheet and sail into the shadow of the main
and set the sheet. Then I gybe the main by sailing thru the wind,
filling the spinnaker and continuing the main gybe .

No one one the foredeck. With the Auto Pilot its a one man operation.

I think that we have our usual transAtlantic communication problem here(Same
words - different meanings). It looks like we would both offer the same
advice to Scotty.









Regards


Donal
--