Single Handed Chute Help?

[ssullivan]

Ok, one of my to-do's today was to have a good look at my old, stained chute and see if I could get it running for slow downwind conditions on this delivery.

I pulled the bag labeled "Chute" out and there is that stinky, stained mess... but wait!! No... that's just the sock thing! MY GOD! Inside is an all but unused spinnaker, in black. No clue what graphics or colors aside from that are.

So great!

But I'm singlehanding right now. I have no Autohelm. I haven't flown a spinnaker in years, and when I did as a kid, I was a bit foggy on it. Since I haven't been fortunate enough to own proper downwind sails before this, I have little experience.

So how do I go about doing this safely without ruining my sail or causing a dangerous situation, singlehanded?

My spinnaker seems to be a standard, old school symmetrical one, and I have a pole.

For safety (and simplicity while single handing), I'd like to really use the spinnaker when on runs only.

Can I rig it by tying it off to a couple of cleats I have that are approx 2 inches from the front of my boat? Normally I use these cleats to rig a snubber to anchor. They are on the far port and far starboard side of this catamaran.

I had heard you could fly downwind sails like this on catamarans without needing to break out the pole. Any good? Any tips, ideas, etc?

I feel like a guy trying to pack a parachute so I don't die on my next jump. So many lines... plus that block that I assume hooks to the halyard. Going out to have another look right now, but any tips for a guy who is more than rusty on proper downwind sails?

PS: Looks like I'll have good wind over the next half-week, so I won't be flying it just yet. I'm trying to prepare for some slow run that should happen eventually.