How to Set a Spinnaker Quickly in Sailboat Racing

A clean spinnaker set is one that goes up, fills and is trimmed quickly. At the weather mark, a good set can mean several boat lengths - a poor set can take you out of the race.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dry Marine Lubricant
• Sailing Gloves
• Deck Shoes
• Foul Weather Gear
• Seaman's Knives

1. Run the tapes on the spinnaker to make sure it was packed well and will come out with no wraps.

2. Check to see that your halyards are not wrapped around the headstay or one another.

3. Alert your crew to ready for a spinnaker set.

4. Set the pole on the mast in the right position, and top the outboard end with the guy in the jaws before you hoist.

5. Prefeed the clew hooked to the guy to the end of the pole.

6. Snug the foreguy.

7. Hold the body of the spinnaker clear of the hatch or out of the bag so that it doesn't get hung up anywhere.

8. Feed the head of the spinnaker underneath the jib and over the lifeline.

9. Take the slack out of the spinnaker sheet and halyard.

10. Jump the halyard with quick, body-length arm pulls until it is topped.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice spinnaker sets with your predetermined roles without any time pressure. Once everyone is comfortable with his or her roles, turn up the urgency level.
• Instruct crewmembers on where to look for snags and how to get the spinnaker unwrapped if there is a problem.
• Beware of excessively large loads on big boats while flying a spinnaker. Use several wraps around a winch and wear sailing gloves to lessen the risk of rope burns on your hands.

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