Last sail with brand new asymmetrical

[vitger]

Took out the boat in near calm conditions for my first singlehanded try at spinakker handling... very brave

Sorry about the Hungarian blabber, and the word I was missing was "block"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2qz_KvgKvI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGOEGEMpS_k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Addvx-a-GQ

Cheers,
Balazs

[bscott]

Beautiful

Consider raising the chute head above the existing jib block--to the top of the mast and run your sheets outside the forestay. This way you will capture the higher winds and will not foul on the jib halyard. You should also ease you backstay off a bit so the mast is straight.

To get wind direction and speed place tell tails on your upper shrouds as high up as you can reach--no need for a mast head windex--easy on the neck too

Bob

[Judy B]

Took out the boat in near calm conditions for my first singlehanded try at spinakker handling... very brave

Sorry about the Hungarian blabber, and the word I was missing was "block"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2qz_KvgKvI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGOEGEMpS_k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Addvx-a-GQ

Cheers,
Balazs

What a wonderful video! I'm thrilled to see one of my sails in action. Thank you! You put a big smile on my face.

I've got some coaching tips to give you, but right now i've got to go get my son at school. I wrote what follows for someoen else, but it'll work for you too. It assumes you have the tack line running aft to the cockpit and can adjust it. The tack line should be tight for reaching, so the luff is straighter, and the shape resembles a huge genoa. The tack and sheet should be eased when sailing deep, so the luff is curved, the shape resembles a spinnaker -- then the sail will rotate out in front of the bow and the luff extend past the forestay to windward.

I'd like to you read it while the memory of flying your chute is still fresh in your mind.

tips to demystify the cruising chute.

Trimming
1. The chute has two basic modes (sort of): spinnaker mode and genoa mode.
2. To use as a spinnaker: You will ease both lines: ease the tack, then ease the sheet. The sail will rotate downwind and to the windward side, crossing the centerline. Steer the boat slowly and gently to follow the chute.
3. To reach . You will tighten both llines: tighten the tack and the sheet to pull the sail back to a genoa like shape. Then steer the boat up to a reach.

Steering
1. Always trim the sail first, steer the boat second. The bow follows the chute. Don't turn the bow faster than the luff of the chute!
2. Head up in the calms. Sail deeper in the gusts.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google "spinnaker launching companionway". Most racers in boats under 25 feet launch their spinnakers from the companionway, not the foredeck. Usually with a crew of two or three (think J22, J24, etc).

For small boats, I think the easiest way to launch and retrieve a cruising chute is from a bag in the companionway or cockpit. I hang a bag in the companionway. Before I leave the dock, I rig the sheets, tack, and halyard so I can launch on starboard tack. (I leave all 4 lines rigged and clipped to the rail all the time.)

You don't need or want a snuffer on a micro cruiser. It's more work than it's worth for such a small, easily handled chute.
Here's an overview of flying a chute on a small boat. How big you are and how much wind you want to fly it in determines how big a chute you can handle. Up to about 300 square feet is doable for the average man without pushing the limits.

I'm a small woman, and I can easily handle the 175 square feet of a Potter 19 chute by myself and it's the same size the one for the M17. (Keep in mind that you can start with a small chute for learning safely, then sell it and get a bigger one if you want) . (I use a snuffer for the 600 square foot cruising chute on my Catalina.)

An easy-to-handle all-purpose cruising chute for a Monty boat will be at least twice as big as your 150% genoa. (It could be bigger, but that depends on the windspeeds you want it for).

Pick a spot where you have enough sea room.
Drop your jib.
Check that all your lines are free, especially the spin sheets.
Set your course with the tiller tamer so the chute can be hoisted in the shadow of the mainsail (about 150 degrees to the true wind?)
Haul the tack line until the tack of the chute is at the bow, about 3- 6" (?) inches above the fairlead/block. Secure it. (make sure you can release it fast if you need to cancel the hoist)
Haul the halyard ot the top and secure it.
Haul the working sheet, but not too tight. Keep it in hand.
Head up to a broad reach (120 degrees true?) or so to fill the chute. How high you go will depend upon wind speed. The goal in this step is to get the boat moving fast enough so the apparent wind moves forward so it's coming over the beam.

Finally, ease the tackline a bit, turn slowly downwind, and give a big ease on the sheet. The chute will rotate across the center line and project beyond the windshadow of the mainsail.

When you ease the tackline (and detension the lufff), the chute gets a shape similar to an asymmetric spinnaker and you can sail deeper angles and build up good boatspeed on a very deep reach. You can't sail DDW without a pole.

For reaching in light winds, tighten the tack line as you steer higer. that will give the chute a shape close to a genoa than a spinnaker.

Always be ready to give a big ease on the sheet if you get overpowered while sailing. But don't drop the sheet if you get in trouble -- instead, to totally depower the chute safely, you'll release the tack.


To douse the chute:

Turn downind to about 150-160 degrees, so the main can blanket the chute. Ease the mainsail so you can pull the chute in underneath the boom, into the companionway bag.
Make sure the lazy sheet is free, the halyard is free, tackline is free to run.
Release the tack line and pull the working sheet towards you until you can grab the foot of the chute somewhere. Takes 3-5 secs.
Release the halyard and gather up the chute. Takes another 3-5 secs.
Stuff everything into the bag in the companionway. Stuff it in deep so the wind won't pull it out. Done.

Fair winds,
Judy B

[vitger]

Thank you both.
This was just a test run, I plan to raise the spinakker hound a few inches above the jib one.
Judy, you still haven't sent me that link about attaching the hound, the one we discussed over the phone a few weeks back.

Thanks again!

Balazs

[Tomfoolery]

Consider mounting the hound a little higher than a few inches above the forestay. I mounted mine about 18" higher, mostly because I use a snuffer, but also to keep the whole mess a bit higher. Using the jib halyard put the sail too low for my taste.

BWY sells mast hounds that match the original jib/forestay unit.



nb The jib is disconnected and slid back for transport in this pic.

[GaryMayo]

Very smart looking sail! Well done!

[mrbillfll]

18" will be fine, top of the mast, NO!

maybe OK in light air like in your video. but you don't have mast support for the sides on a fractional rig.

[vitger]

Agree, most people recommend not more than 12 to 18 inches above forestay attachment point.

[arknoah]

Wow. That may not come for me for a very long time.

[Judy B]

Thank you both.
This was just a test run, I plan to raise the spinakker hound a few inches above the jib one.
Judy, you still haven't sent me that link about attaching the hound, the one we discussed over the phone a few weeks back.

Thanks again!

Balazs

Here's the link. Scroll down for how to put a compression tube around a bolt that you're putting though a spar. All bolts going thru a mast or boom should have a compression post to prevent over-tightening.

http://www.blumhorst.com/potterpages/p1 ... igging.mht .

Here's another option that works too. It's a Ronstan RF-146 masthound.





Several similar parts are available at APS. You pick the one that matches the diameter of the front of your mast.

http://www.apsltd.com/c-75-stampedmasth ... traps.aspx

Fair winds,
Judy B

[Catigale]

On our lightly loaded boats, you can just use a lock nut and back it off 1/2 turn to prevent compression...

[Mic]

Just joined tonight. Really enjoyed your videos. I now need a bigger bucket for my lists. Got my Mac 26D out of OK lake and covered just hours before the snow covered it. I'm up in Falkland north of you. I solo most of the time but I want a small spinnaker and the one you have fits the need. Saved all the relevant info, now I have to work on the amiralty.

Hope you got it home and covered with out getting snowed on. The dog was a nice touch for us as we recenty had to put ours down.

Four months and we will be back in the water.

[dlymn]

Do not put the hound at the top of the mast of a 26M! I put one there once for a small spinnaker and watched the mast bend 3-4 inches port to starboard in 5 knots of wind. I now have a new hound 15 inches above the forestay hound (rolling furler), beautiful.

[Catigale]

watched the mast bend 3-4 inches port to starboard in 5 knots of wind

[THE CUSCUS]

Here's another option for your spinnaker halyard block attachment. Very easy to install.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1496