Is This an Asymmetrical Spinnaker ?

[troppo]

My new boat has two spinnakers, this is the smaller one. I am thinking it is an asymmetrical spinnaker though I have never used one. From what you can see of it in the pic, what do ya reckon it is?



Unhappily, a couple of the little hole things at the tack, clew, head of the sail are corroded. Can I repair these myself or do I get a sailmaker to do them? I assume they need fixing.

[daddle]

That is a Drifter. You can think of it as a small well-behaved spinnaker or a special purpose genoa. It is only used off the wind - reaching in light airs. The cringles can be easily replaced by a sailmaker.

[Tranquilo]

That's a blooper, used (in combination with spinnaker)to counter the death roll of IOR boats going down wind.

[cal40john]

I agree with Tranquillo, I think it's a blooper. It's set to leeward of the main and you have to play the halyard as well as the sheet. It's only used with a spinnaker flying as well.


Picture of a boat with spinnaker and blooper.
Bravura with Spinnaker and Blooper | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

John

[jzk]

It is a blooper used when sailing dead down wind with a spinnaker. They are no longer used much because jybing down wind is almost always faster.

[daddle]

Heh. You guys are right, that's a Blooper. Ugh. They still exist? Throw it away. It's truly useless.

[WillJacocks]

Don't toss it, donate it!

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by WillJacocks

Don't toss it, donate it!

To whom? These are functionally useless. You aren't allowed to carry them any more in racing, and you'd need a check up from the neck up if you wanted to fly one in any other scenario.

[WillJacocks]

There were many places accepting donations of good used sails for making tents in Haiti. I think Oracle/BMW donated theirs for this reason. I admit Haiti is past but there are many who would take donations. Just bring it to a sail shop maybe they can make something out of it.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by WillJacocks

There were many places accepting donations of good used sails for making tents in Haiti. I think Oracle/BMW donated theirs for this reason. I admit Haiti is past but there are many who would take donations. Just bring it to a sail shop maybe they can make something out of it.

Haiti is not past. According to the Christian Science Monitor, as of Nov. 1.3M are still living in tent cities. Haiti's tent cities to bear worst of potential hurricane Tomas - CSMonitor.com

[troppo]

Ahhhh, sooo it's a blooper! Definition: Blooper: blunder: an embarrassing mistake. That is not a sail to infuse me with confidence.

Thank you for your replies, they are most helpful.

Well, I think I will add the sail to the large and growing pile of almost useless stuff I am taking off the boat. It will join the rusty anchor which wouldn't hold the boat, the two old radio aerials which were attached to thin air, the three ancient illegal lifejackets, the four packets of way out-of-date flares, the three busted bilge pumps, the, oh whatever, there's heaps.

But the material in the sail would be useful for something. I could make me some shirt and shorts for when I am sailing or cut the top third off and use it on a stick in my dinghy as a sail so I don't have to row everywhere or I could use it to make a boom tent. Or maybe I will leave it on the lawn for a few weeks until the grass underneath is dead, remove the sail and tell the newspaper I have a crop circle in my backyard. Aliens!

[savoir]

Why not fly it until it blows ? At least that will help your new A sail last another year or so. No, it won't win any races for you but it will set OK while you are cruising. If you are running square the clew would be helped by being poled out and you may need to hoist the halyard a little higher.

Once the sail blows, then you can make those shorts.

[troppo]

Originally Posted by savoir

Why not fly it until it blows ? At least that will help your new A sail last another year or so. No, it won't win any races for you but it will set OK while you are cruising. If you are running square the clew would be helped by being poled out and you may need to hoist the halyard a little higher.

Once the sail blows, then you can make those shorts.

Can it be flown without a spinnaker for cruising? Just the main and blooper?

[tager]

I agree with savoir, blow it out on the run. Why not? Downwind sails are literally just wind bags. Lift is not a factor.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by tager

I agree with savoir, blow it out on the run. Why not? Downwind sails are literally just wind bags. Lift is not a factor.

Perhaps in the hands of an amateur. A new properly-cut well-trimmed spinnaker is far more efficient than a simple 'wind bag'.

A blooper is likely smaller than a poled out genoa, and much harder to control. So it's pretty useless.