Cruising chute/ spinnaker/ gennaker/ drifter/ reacher??.... gulp!

[Joli]

Most mast heads have a crane too keep the kite halyard out front. But there are some mast heads that do not have or require a crane. The tri halyard system has one jib halyard on center under the headstay and two wing halyards in the spar and cross over the top of the headstay. The advantage is the wings can double as jib halyards but the center jib cannot be used for a kite.

[Hud3]

A question to the original poster...

Lots of info has been put up, Miss-M. Did we help you any?

[miss-m]

Originally Posted by Hud3

A question to the original poster...

Lots of info has been put up, Miss-M. Did we help you any?

Thank you all very much for your answers and advice. I have a couple more questions....

We were advised a while ago to get a cruising chute as apparently its easier to handle than a spinnaker. Is this true? What are the differences?

Also, do we need a pole? Apparently a cruising chute doesn't use a pole. At the moment if we run wing and wing, we dont pole out the jib. How much of a difference does it make if we do pole it out?

Do you ever need to use your genoa AND your light air sail at the same time??

Why is it that the more you know, the more you know you dont know?? Hmmmm.......

[svHyLyte]

Hud--

Have you ever flown the assym without the tacker? Per ATN that was originally designed to allow one to fly a symetric spinnaker without a pole.

Further, when you blow the tack line, do you simply release it from the tacker, leaving the line attached to the sail and free to run, or do you release the tacker from the headstay, leaving that attached to the tack of the sail as well?

Regards,

s/v HyLyte

[Hud3]

Scott,

No, I've always used the Tacker. It would be OK to just use a tack line for adjusting the height of the tack to match the point of sail. The Tacker keeps the sail from drifting off to leeward, and helps you hold a better shape.

The tack is held to the Tacker by a snap shackle. When I release it the Tacker stays on board. Wouldn't want it flying around in the breeze! Could give you a nasty lump on the head!

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by miss-m

Thank you all very much for your answers and advice. I have a couple more questions....

We were advised a while ago to get a cruising chute as apparently its easier to handle than a spinnaker. Is this true? What are the differences?

Also, do we need a pole? Apparently a cruising chute doesn't use a pole. At the moment if we run wing and wing, we dont pole out the jib. How much of a difference does it make if we do pole it out?

Do you ever need to use your genoa AND your light air sail at the same time??

Why is it that the more you know, the more you know you dont know?? Hmmmm.......

Miss-M,

The asymmetric doesn't use a pole, and it's much simpler to use than a symmetrical. As I said, I can handle it all my myself. Sailing under a symmetrical spinnaker takes extra crew. I've not had much experience with one,though, so perhaps others on the Forum can chime in.

You can't sail dead downwind with an asym, like you can with a symmetrical. For DDW, I use a line-control pole to hold the genoa out, wing and wing. I use the pole sometimes on a broad reach, too, if it's a bit bouncy out there. It keeps the genoa from collapsing and pumping if the boat's pitching or yawing.

Flying an asym and your genoa would be quite a trick! I wouldn't have nerve enough to try it myself, though.

[svHyLyte]

Hud--

Thanks for your note. I just saw a snippit on the ATN site that seems to show the sail just being cut loose from the tacker and free of the tack-line, which just doesn't make sense to me. I can see freeing the tack from the Tacker and letting the tack-line run, but not freeing the tack entirely. We'd have 1400 SF of Spinnaker blowing off to leeward and flogging. No?

s/v HyLyte

[Nauticatarcher]

Originally Posted by Steve Pope

Nauticatarcher, I was talking to Bob McDavitt last friday and asked him as to when the next weather window for heading North would be. He said there is nothing until June.
Check out yotreps a free service that he does for yachties if you havn't already.
YOTREPS Offshore Reports

Thanks Steve, already use Yotreps, we are spending a week or so having a look at BOI and are aiming for early June departure so fingers crossed that the weather gods wil be kind

[Joli]

You can fly and assy with or with out a tacker just as you can fly it with our without a pole (same pole you use for a sym kite). How hard do you want to work?

With a pole you can square the luff back as you dive. You will need the tack line as well as a guy and a lazy guy, ditto sheets. When jibing we have found it is best to go outside and simply disconect the pole to make it to the weather side. The assy flys on the tack only when jibing, re-load the weather guy when on the new board.

HyLite, we like you are loathe to shake off the tack but instead keep the chute shy to the rig and will burn the halyard and gather the kite under the jib, letterbox it, or pull down the ATN. We have no desire to let 3500 sq ft get away.

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Hud--

Thanks for your note. I just saw a snippit on the ATN site that seems to show the sail just being cut loose from the tacker and free of the tack-line, which just doesn't make sense to me. I can see freeing the tack from the Tacker and letting the tack-line run, but not freeing the tack entirely. We'd have 1400 SF of Spinnaker blowing off to leeward and flogging. No?

s/v HyLyte

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by Joli

You can fly and assy with or with out a tacker just as you can fly it with our without a pole (same pole you use for a sym kite). How hard do you want to work?

With a pole you can square the luff back as you dive. You will need the tack line as well as a guy and a lazy guy, ditto sheets. When jibing we have found it is best to go outside and simply disconect the pole to make it to the weather side. The assy flys on the tack only when jibing, re-load the weather guy when on the new board.

HyLite, we like you are loathe to shake off the tack but instead keep the chute shy to the rig and will burn the halyard and gather the kite under the jib, letterbox it, or pull down the ATN. We have no desire to let 3500 sq ft get away.

HooHah, Joli! Yours is almost three times bigger than mine! With my little ole 1,200 sq ft handkerchief, freeing the tack from the Tacker and the tack line is no problem. The tack flies out, but the sheet keeps it from going too far, and the sleeve snuffs it quickly and easily. with no flogging. If the wind's up a bit, I run off a bit to blanket with the main.

I know a fellow with an Island Packet 32 who will use a pole with a lift and guy to rotate the asymmetric square with the boat sailing dead downwind. I've never actually seen it done, however. It would seem to me that it is then would need at least one additional crew to handle it.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by Hud3

I know a fellow with an Island Packet 32 who will use a pole with a lift and guy to rotate the asymmetric square with the boat sailing dead downwind. I've never actually seen it done, however. It would seem to me that it is then would need at least one additional crew to handle it.

Certainly you would want at least two people on your boat the first few times you use a pole that way. Once the chute is up, you ideally need one person to tend the guy to control the pole position, the other to tend the sheet. But with self-tailers and an autopilot, one person could tend both the guy and the sheet in light air. For hoisting and dousing, one person forward and one in the cockpit.

I think it might be possible for one person to do it all on your size boat in light air, after plenty of work with some help aboard. You would just need to preset the pole position properly, based on experience and conditions.

[over40pirate]

I Cruised full time for 7 years and hated to have to start the diesel. I used a cruising chute that came with the boat when I bought it. It was good under certain points of sail, but not for sailing up wind. I also used it singlehanded quite a few times. With a sock it wasn't that bad, however there were a few moments......

The last 3 years of cruising I used the "bananna sail" (it was yellow) it was a 3 oz. dacron sail, that I think is called a reacher. It was 3' too high on the hoist on my boat, so we cut it down, and raised the clew at the same time so it wouldn't catch waves. I was cruising and didn't need a deck sweeper.

The sail worked out great. It's about a 200% jenny. I can point fairly high with it, and for going down wind, set on a pole, with the roller jenny on a pole opposite it, with the main down, it is a great combination.

I rigged a removable baby stay about a foot behind the forstay to fly it.
It's a hank on sail.

I would recommend a sail like this for cruising, as it keeps you moving when the wind lightens.

The baby stay is also used to rig the storm jib.

[Charlie]

I have an ATn sock and a tacer. I am currently looking into buying a facnor asym furler. They are expensive but they allow for one person to fly the spin easily. If the wind picks up you roll the asym up and can leave it there while a squall blows thru or you can take it down. The main advantage is the ability to roll up the sail when the wind gets too much.

As far as poles go If you are sailing DDW you need a pole. Whether it is on your jib your sym chute or your asym. The sail needs to be held out when going DDW.

[windsaloft]

32' full keel boat, 24,000 lbs cruising weight --- two of us aboard --- asym spinnaker with the ATN sock and tacker (we have a roller furling jib) makes it all very, very simple.

Regarding poles --- we got one with the boat, and have come to love it to just pole out the Genoa in lighter downwind runs --- keeps more sail area presented to the wind, and stops it from slapping around. Can add a good 1/2 knot at times --- worth getting someone to show you how to use a pole (can be learned in 5-10 minutes and pole can be light enough for one person to handle easily enough.

[over40pirate]

The first 4 years oot of 7 years cruising I had a cruising chute. I used a generic sock for it. It was great for light air, if off the wind, but for windward work, useless.
Then I came accross a used 3-4 oz dacron reacher, that I had shortened to fit our boat. I had the clew raised, so it wasn't a deck sweeper.
I installed a removable inner forestay. The sail hanks on.
Basically, I ended up with about a 200% genny. I use light weight sheets with it for very light air.

In my opinion it is far superior to a cruising chute, as you can sail fairly close to the wind with it.

Downwind sailing, with it poled out, and the 135 rf genny poled out opposite it, with the main furled, is a pleasure.