RS Toura - Page 70

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The spinnaker halyard pulls the bowsprit out at the same time – when the spinnaker is
hoisted, you are ready to go. The crew, or the helm if sailing singlehanded, should now pull
gentlyontheleewardspinnakersheetuntilthespinnakerhaslled.Spinnakersmaybe
e󰀨ectivelyusedfromaclosereachtoabroadreachso,togetdownwind,oneshould
become adept at gybing. It is not possible to tack with the spinnaker hoisted. For the best
e󰀨ect,thespinnakersheetshouldalwaysbeeasedasfaraspossible,sothatthelu󰀨isjust
on the point of curling.
Gybing with the spinnaker is fairly straightforward. Like the jib, it should be pulled across at
thesametimeasthemainsailcomesacross.Assoonasithasbeenpulledinandlledwith
wind,itshouldagainbeimmediatelyeasedformaximume󰀩ciencyandspeed
To drop the spinnaker, reverse the procedure used to hoist. The boat should be sailing on a
broad reach, and the slack in the spinnaker downhaul is pulled in from the left hand halyard
block As the spinnaker downhaul goes tight, the spinnaker halyard should be popped out of
the cleat. Then, pull the remainder of the spinnaker downhaul through until the spinnaker is
pulled sharply into the chute. Dropping the spinnaker on tighter reaches is harder, and
requiresmoree󰀨ortonthespinnakerdownhaul.
TOP TIP
Tie a rope bobble onto the spinnaker halyard, about 10 cm from the bowline that is attached
to the head of the spinnaker. This will make dropping the spinnaker easier.
HINT
The spinnaker can “bunch up” when entering the chute. This can be minimised by keeping
some tension on the spinnaker sheet, preventing the clew from being sucked into the chute
with the main body of the spinnaker.
When the spinnaker is fully lowered, tidy the sheets and the halyard to keep the cockpit
area clear.
13 - Sailing Hints