How To

How to Set a Spinnaker Quickly in Sailboat Racing

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(5 Ratings)

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:

  1. Step 1

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

  2. Step 2

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

  3. Step 3

    Alert your crew to ready for a spinnaker set.

  4. Step 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. Step 5

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

  6. Step 6

    Snug the foreguy.

  7. Step 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. Step 8

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

  9. Step 9

    Take the slack out of the spinnaker sheet and halyard.

  10. Step 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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