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Old 16-07-2010, 06:58   #1
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Spinnakers and Cruising

Do many of you fly a spinnaker when cruising? Or do you regard it as a hassle?
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Old 16-07-2010, 07:06   #2
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I use a drifter(poleless).Do not have one on this boat but on the list.marc
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Old 16-07-2010, 07:13   #3
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Yes, But you probably knew I did anyhow..
A hassel, Not at all.. wouldnt fly it at night, but its a great daylight sail.....
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Old 16-07-2010, 09:02   #4
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Yes, if the wind is behind the beam. Day or night. Crewed or singlehanded. Deck, sprit or pole. If it doesn't behave it goes back in the bag.
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Old 16-07-2010, 09:57   #5
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I use a drifter(poleless).Do not have one on this boat but on the list.marc
I second using a drifter. A drifter will cut your diesel use down dramatically and make an otherwise frustrating situation a gentle little cruise. They're cheap, easy, and fold up small.
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Old 16-07-2010, 10:03   #6
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Yes, if the wind is behind the beam. Day or night. Crewed or singlehanded. Deck, sprit or pole. If it doesn't behave it goes back in the bag.
Great answer Daddle!
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Old 16-07-2010, 11:53   #7
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A cruising spinnaker is great. With the right setup, they are easy to launch and retrieve by one person. Make sure you have a sock and try to avoid a pole.
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Old 16-07-2010, 12:44   #8
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I second using a drifter. A drifter will cut your diesel use down dramatically and make an otherwise frustrating situation a gentle little cruise. They're cheap, easy, and fold up small.
Can someone please tell me what a drifter is what angles it can be sailed with?

Greg
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Old 16-07-2010, 12:54   #9
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Do many of you fly a spinnaker when cruising? Or do you regard it as a hassle?
Yes and Yes
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:13   #10
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Can someone please tell me what a drifter is what angles it can be sailed with?

Greg
Think of it like a genoa, except made of really lightweight nylon like that of a spinnaker. Often they have only a grommet at the tack and the head, so you can hold them anywhere from beam-broad reach, all the way over to wind on the quarter. They can handle ~10 knots of wind, but are really the only sail that will move most heavy boats in <5 knot winds. Yeah, you won't be making hull speed, but 1 knot steady, even if slightly off course (you won't get that far off course making one knot anyway) is a much more comfortable sail than bobbing like a cork with flapping sails, or "raising the iron jib" and rattling the pots and pans with the engine.

In San Diego we either have (a) no wind, (b) some wind and then back to no wind, or (c) a storm. The drifters get a lot of love down here, they are the best light air sail, hands down, and you can use them on anything wider than a close reach.

I'd recommend making some little fittings with marlin that will break under load, and attaching those to the sail which in turn attach to the halyard and deck (and hanks, if you run them). If the wind kicks up too much the drifter can rip unless you've installed some breakaway lines like that. Many have these attached already.
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:14   #11
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Also, the biggest reason (that I see) why people don't run drifters is because of ruller furling, which effectively gives you one choice for a headsail. You can get around this by only having connections at the head and tack, although unless the tack is forward of the forestay (where the roller is), you'll lose a couple of degrees of pointing when it overlaps the drum. This might be the first time anyone has used "pointing" and "drifter" in the same paragraph, but hopefully you get the idea.
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:31   #12
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We use a 3/4 oz. Assymetrical in light air from about a 70' to 140' +/- wind angle. It's poleless/spritless thus is covered by the main if sailed deeper. It's a big sail and I wouldn't use it if I didn't have a snuffer. Works great in those limited conditions but is a big sailbag on a 34' boat.
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:40   #13
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We use a 3/4 oz. Assymetrical in light air from about a 70' to 140' +/- wind angle. It's poleless/spritless thus is covered by the main if sailed deeper. It's a big sail and I wouldn't use it if I didn't have a snuffer. Works great in those limited conditions but is a big sailbag on a 34' boat.
For a drifter I wouldn't run the main (I know you're talking about an asym) as the drifter really is there for the times that the air is so light you're just flapping around second guessing the whole "sail"boat thing.
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:43   #14
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G'Day All,

We use a 1.5 Oz symmetrical (masthead tri-radial, of great antiquity (1983)) on I-two. It is a bloody big sail, has a snuffer, and is fantastic under the right conditions (less than 15 knots apparent, ~75 to 180 degrees apparent). Requires a pole and a lot of strings, so we don't use it casually, but it is a joy once we get it up. We think of it as a necessity for cruising, and it has saved a lot of diesel over the years.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Manly Qld Oz
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Old 16-07-2010, 13:54   #15
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Can someone please tell me what a drifter is what angles it can be sailed with?

Greg
G'Day Greg,

These days folks use a sail called a "Code Zero" in many of the situations that the generic "Drifter" was historically used.

It too is a large, deep draft Genoa shaped sail, sometimes made of nylon, sometimes of very light Dacron, and is flown from a furler that wraps the sail up around its own luff. Have a look at any sailmakers website and they'll show you how it works.

Unfortunately the kit is pretty expensive, and stowing the furled and bagged sail can be a problem, but they are less of an issue to use than a kite (I'm told -- no personal experience) and can be carried closer to the wind than most kites.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Manly, Qld, Oz
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