How do I choose a spinnaker?

How do I choose a spinnaker?

7. If you are using a spinnaker sleeve / spinnaker sock or a furler. We said earlier that the important number is the length available between the spinnaker halyard when fully hoisted and the tack.

What is the difference between an asymmetrical spinnaker and a gennaker?

But what is the main difference between gennaker and spinnaker: The spinnaker has a symmetrical design. The spinnaker halyard at the head of the sail, the afterhaul upwind on the spinnaker pole, and the sheet downwind on the clew. A gennaker is cut asymmetrically.

What’s the difference between a genoa and a spinnaker?

The gennaker is rigged like a spinnaker but the tack is fastened to the hull or to a bowsprit. It has greater camber than a genoa (but significantly less camber than a spinnaker). The gennaker is a specialty sail primarily used on racing boats to bridge the performance gap between a genoa and a spinnaker.

What is the difference between a symmetrical and asymmetrical spinnaker?

As the names suggest, a symmetrical spinnaker is cut in symmetrical shape. An Asymmetric spinnaker (otherwise known as a gennaker or A-Sail) is cut more like a lightweight genoa and as such it has a permanent luff, tack and clew. Once the pole has been set, the sail can be hoisted.

How do you know what size spinnaker to get?

The rule of thumb for the spinnaker size is the luffs = I. The foot should be between 1.6 x J and 2 x J. Many cruising boats are now using “Poleless Spinnakers.” The luff on poleless spinnakers should not exceed the I or the full size genoa luff. The foot should be between 1.6 and 1.8 x J.

What is an asymmetric spinnaker?

What is an Asymmetric Spinnaker? Asymmetric spinnakers are more triangular in shape than a symmetric spinnaker and have three distinct corners: head, clew, and tack. The head attaches to the halyard. The tack fastens to a tackline, which is attached to the forward end of a fixed pole or sprit at deck level.

What is a symmetrical spinnaker?

Symmetric spinnakers are exactly the same shape either side of a vertical center line. The head/top of the sail attaches to the halyard. The biggest benefit of symmetric spinnakers is the ability to sail deep angles. On some boats they will even fly when sailing dead downwind (180 degrees True Wind Angle, or TWA).

What is the difference between a jib and a genoa?

Jibs are typically 100\% to 115\% LP and are generally used in areas with heavier winds. Typically a jib will be no greater than 115\% of the fore-triangle dimensions. A genoa is similar to a jib but is larger and reaches past the mast. It will typically overlap a mainsail to some extent.

What’s the difference between a jib and a spinnaker?

The jib is another type of sail, not unlike a spinnaker. The key difference between a jib and a spinnaker is where they are used. Sailing boats use jibs, whereas spinnakers are more commonly found on racing yachts.

What is an S2 spinnaker?

S2 Light/Medium Runner – Racing Spinnakers The S2 is the most used spinnaker on a boat since most races are sailed in moderate winds. Each panel is shaped on all four sides in order to create a smooth round sail. For one sail to be so versatile, it needs to hold its shape without distorting.

What is a asymmetrical spinnaker?

When to use a spinnaker?

The standard or radial spinnaker is only used when the wind direction is abeam in shy reaching conditions and all angles abaft of the beam. It is always set with the spinnaker pole on the windward side of the yacht.

How to raise a spinnaker?

Spinnaker pole up

Pre-feed – the trimmer pulls the guy until the clew of the spin is at the head stay

hoist – bowman hoists spinnaker from the mast and when raised cleats the halyard off on the mast and shouts “made”.

How to use a spinnaker?

– Always put the spinnaker pole up on the windward side and hoist the spinnaker from the leeward side – Make sure the pole is all the way forward as the spinnaker is hoisted – Make sure the spinnaker sail bag is attached to the boat, connect the halyard to the head of the spinnaker – Keep your jib up while hosting the spinnaker – As someone pulls quickly on the spinnaker halyard, another crew member should control the sheet to keep the spinnaker from twisting around – When the chute is all the way up, bring the pole back perpendicular to the masthead fly – The spinnaker trimmer should continuously ease the sheet until he/she sees a little curl on the luff, then trim in to stop the curl

What is a spinnaker sail?

A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off bow.