When would you not use a spinnaker

[trepanger]

I use a roller furling Genoa and raise and lower the Spinnaker behind it

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by trepanger

I use a roller furling Genoa and raise and lower the Spinnaker behind it

Buddy, why not use the main for the same purpose?

barnakiel

[trepanger]

The main works fine in lite winds but when it's blowing 18-20 I find pulling it up behind the Genoa works much easier

[Capt Phil]

After you just blew it out! Phil

[barnakiel]

OK. I see. I must try the genoa trick next time on the water. Thanks!

barnakiel

[UNCIVILIZED]

His GPS's peak speed was correct, just like it was for this Cal 40
https://www.facebook.com/andrew.nels.../794377693830/

Back to the real question; when to take down a kite in a cruising context. Realistically, 20kts true, if not a bit less. And unless you both plane controllably, & can easily, repeatably douse the kite in 20kts (true), pull it down sooner. Say 15kts true. Since when the breeze builds, loads are a squared function of the windspeed. And kites are a pain in the rear to fix, if there's enough left for the sailmaker to work with that is.

I say this having had kites up in 40kts. Albeit on boats with lots, & lots of depth of experience in the crew. Whereas I've had crews on Santa Cruz 70's wake me up, & plead with me to go do bow, & peel down to the chicken kite in 18kts true. As no one else onboard had ever flown one in anything north of 20kts.

Keep in mind too that broaching in 20kts with a kite up will cause some boats to get their spreaders washed, like it or not. And if all of the boat's hatches aren't shut, there's the possibility of becoming a submarine.
Not to mention that such adventures scar some crew for life. Truly. Meaning they'll not go sailing in winds that barely even produce whitecaps after that.

Note: If you live in mortal fear of spinnaker wraps, look into gettting & using a spinnaker net. They get hoisted in between the headstay & the mast to prevent such snafu's.

[carlheintz]

I'll weigh in by saying that I wouldn't ever run a spinnaker without the protection of the main at hand. All it takes is one nasty change in the wind, an unpredictable wave, and wow, you are in trouble.

In fact, I almost never go out without my main up. Somehow it seems that that sail stabilizes and makes my ride more predictable.

I often see folks out sailing without their mains up, and I guess I don't get why they do that.

[Aaarrgh]

I think it all depends on what amount has been wagered on the race, and the prestige you place on winning. Consider the danger, embarrassment, and physical costs of all of the things that could go wrong. Consider the payoff vs. the liability, and decide..."Is it really worth it?"

Don't get me wrong... I am not discouraging courage. It seems that you are plenty courageous, and I have been in many situations that I didn't believe I had recovered from. I'm just promoting a little bit of caution.

Wanna race?

Aarrrgh!

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Ok.

We did have the early version of the sock on the spinnaker pole for quick take down. You can see the yellow spinnaker halyard at the front of the sock/pole (in photo) and it also goes to the back of the tramp thru a bullet block there after coming back down from the mast then thru a spinlock. It's a single line

So as a single hander, you only had your hand off the tiller for a few seconds while bring down the spinnaker and then making your turn at the downwind mark without fouling...

It's not just the ease of dousing, the F17 will just keep accelerating, it's a great way to burn off power as speed instead of digging a deeper hole in the water. A hull speed limited boat just digs a deeper and deeper hole until you start getting bow waves wash over the deck, then it starts to sink.

A J-24 may go kiteless long before a Melgus 24 will for much the same reason. The M24 will just pop up on a plane and start bleeding off massive amounts of wind preassure as boat speed, the J24 just sinks deeper and deeper until it wallows.

This is why ocean race boats (those who could justify a 40kn spinnaker) may still not have one. At some point they are going as fast as they will go, and dropping to white sails is the same speed. Now on modern planing hulls the smallest spin may be designed for far higher wind speeds, because the boats will just keep going faster.

[SJFK]

Hi, it seems to me that you are rightly concerned about using the spinnaker, as I am, and that you are not using it for racing. In all my time I have always considered how difficult it will be to take it down and even if you have competent crew you should always err on the side of caution. Wind speeds of more than 17/18 knots are my cut off point, as the wind gusts above that can tricky to manage. Good luck

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

As it relates to flying a kite in significant wind there is a saying that I didn't invent but I like a lot: you might be able to put it up but god may have a say in how it comes down.

I am sometimes envious of racers who are not afraid of blowing out sails or broaching the boat by having too much sail up in an effort to win. My stance is that I like to keep my sails in one piece and the boat relatively upright.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by EmeraldCoastSailor

As it relates to flying a kite in significant wind there is a saying that I didn't invent but I like a lot: you might be able to put it up but god may have a say in how it comes down.

I am sometimes envious of racers who are not afraid of blowing out sails or broaching the boat by having too much sail up in an effort to win. My stance is that I like to keep my sails in one piece and the boat relatively upright.

I have seen racers coming in with shredded chutes, especially 1/2 oz ones.

Yes, the racing crew is usually NOT instructed to nurse gear along, but to use it to its fullest capacity. Someone else is paying the bills, too. The long term cruiser tries to use things gently to get more and better hours out of it, saves lay days for repairs, too. I guess greed for fun can lead us away from more fun....how ironic!

Ann

[markpierce]

When the crew is seasick or the wind is strong. Don't forget the option to use the spinnaker boom to wing out the jib.

[markpierce]

Spinnakers can be hard to handle. Some even in moderate winds.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Stumble

It's not just the ease of dousing, the F17 will just keep accelerating, it's a great way to burn off power as speed instead of digging a deeper hole in the water. A hull speed limited boat just digs a deeper and deeper hole until you start getting bow waves wash over the deck, then it starts to sink.

That sounds about right.

I was thinking he could still fly his spinnaker at 18-22 knots and be okay especially if it was a small asymmetrical

I do agree though that for cruising a spinnaker really isn't needed...........