500: gennaker and spi handling

[enrigenna]

Hi guys,
by the next month I'm going to be in charge of a lagoon 500, my experience is only with monohulls, except for sailing beach catamarans like hobie and Tornado.
I would appreciate any help expecially on handling spinnaker and a furling gennaker.
Thanks

[enrigenna]

expecially about wind range for these sails

[meirriba]

I do not have an experience with L500, only L400, but I believe it is general enough to be of help. First thing to consider is the very narrow angle between the jib traveler and the center of the boat. This makes the jib flying nicely only at colsewinded angles.
The Gennaker (or actually code 0 that was supplied to me under the gennaker guise) is very effective between 80 - 140 degrees apparent. In that it complements very effectivele the jib range.
I did use the gennaker at lower angles up and over 150 deg apparent but it tends to flap.
The usual stuff applies, e.g. when you are over 90-100 deg you need to bear down in gusts, under that you may go up under gusts and loose the sail to spill wind.
The higher you point with the gennaker - you need more tension on its hallyard and vice versa.
The furling is straightforward. It is an endless line, going round the furler at the bowsprit end and round a free floating block at the deck. The free block it tied with a robust bungee to the railing. Pay attention to ensure that the furling line has a free path to do its job.
Furling is best done going downwind to lower apparent wind pressure. Someone needs to help with keeping the right amount of tension on the sheet, not to much as to make the furling difficult and not too little, which will cause the sail to furl loose. It is very easy to find the right tension when on the job.
The interesting thing is how to jibe. At this point of time, I furl the sail and unroll it on the other tack. I did not try to pass the sail between its hallyard and the front stay.
.

[meirriba]

Enrigenna
If you have never sailed a multihull, I would suggest that you familiarise yourself with the bridle used for anchoring as well. It is important to understand how to deploy it and what it does.

[enrigenna]

hey thanks Meirriba for your tips on the gennaker,
by any chance do you also have information on how to use the spi?
i'm going to start with this boat with a 1200 miles downwind leg .... so i believe it is going to be pretty much useful ....
about the anchor bridle ... i know what it does, about how to deloy it, i imagine it must be like using a snubber line on a monohull.. ..
deploy the anchor from the windlass and then attach the bridle and let go the chain until the bridle takes the strain ...
but please tell me if there is any better procedure

[dirkdig]

Have a look at these settings for a 440

http://www.twixter.us/sailtrim/sailtrim.htm

[enrigenna]

excellent site thanks.

[meirriba]

Very nice pages on the site.
I personally prefer to tack downwind instead of going at 180 deg, even with spinnaker. In my experience, tacking downwind with a cat produces better VMG. You may try it and act according to what you will find for your boat.
If you use a spinnaker pole - the actual work is similar to a monohull with the advantage of wide and stable deck for the bowman (or bowwoman...).
However, it is possible to fly a spinnaker on a cat without a pole, attaching both tacks to the respective bows. For that you need a dedicated blocks (preferably with purchases) on the bows and seperate lines to each tack of the sail, allowing to take in the line on one bow and allowing slack on the other bow. When jibing, you take in the "lazy" tack and slacken the other line. I am sorry but I do not have pictures of such an arrangement.