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EASE POLE FORWARD
STARTING TO HEEL
Sail faster
sail safer
PULL ON KICKER
STEER HIGH
A Yachting World publication
TOP TIP
When conditions start to become windier, watch the windward leading edge of the spinnaker; if the
head of the spinnaker is often rolling out to level with or to windward of the end of the pole, then pull
on the sheet a little to bring it back on board the boat.
When sailing short-handed or on
longer passages with a cross swell, you
could consider using a preventer to keep
the boom up in the air should you roll
excessively. This could give you vital
seconds to depower the spinnaker
before the boom comes crashing down.
But the preventer should be led forward
then back to the cockpit, in a place easy
to reach, so should the situation
deteriorate, you can let it down quickly.
3Steering
When the boat starts to roll, it is
easy to make it worse with excessive
use of the helm. Try to keep the boat
steady and make gradual changes – the
rudder requires water to be flowing over
it to steer so going full lock will simply
stall the boat.
Initially, try to steer the boat out of
the roll – remember it is not necessarily
because the boat has altered course
that you are in danger of gybing, but
because the boat is rolling to windward
and the boom is up in the air.
Gently steer the boat to a higher
wind angle and try to sail flat or with
slight leeward heel. A sudden rounding
up could send you straight into a broach.
4Be ready for a drop
Chinese gybes can be caused by
difficult sea conditions, perhaps an old
residual cross swell, but often they are
an indication that the boat is starting to
become overpowered. Recovery should
be followed by an assessment of the
conditions. Perhaps it is time to change
to a smaller spinnaker or go with a
poled-out headsail. Make sure your
cockpit is ready at all times for a drop.
Pilot guide
When short-handed sailing in marginal
conditions, it can often be the autopilot
that will Chinese gybe the boat. Most
pilots have controls now which can be
adjusted to help the unit react well to
these conditions, by balancing response
and counter rudder settings. However,
simply programming the pilot to steer
5 -10° high of the course while you are
off the deck will keep the boat safe.
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
Dos and don’ts
■ Do act early, as the wind
increases start to change
your spinnaker trim to keep
the sail depowered and
under control
■ Do keep your cockpit clear
so sheets and guys are
always ready to go
■ Don’t over-react – rapid
counter actions can cause
you to go straight into a
broach
Pip Hare is a
professional
skipper and
sailing coach
with a diverse experience of
racing and ocean sailing. Her
passion is solo and shorthanded offshore racing
www.hqhh.de 12/2013
GBR13033
Real teamwork
requires a high level of trust.
The same should
apply for you and
S
ometimes sailing can get a little bit too exciting. We’ve all been there: raised
voices, heated tempers and a day on the water slightly soured by things that
got in a bit of a tangle. The answer is to plan each manoeuvre carefully
beforehand and brief all your crew so that they have a very clear understanding
of what they are to do and what will happen at each stage.
*Pantaenius UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Authorised No.308688) **Pantaenius America Ltd. is a licensed insurance agent licensed in all 50 states.
It is an independent corporation incorporated under the laws of New York and is a separate and distinct entity from any entity of the Pantaenius Group.
your insurance
cover.
Sail Faster Sail Safer
To show us the best ways of doing exactly that we asked Pip Hare, aided and abetted by
British solo sailor and record breaker Brian Thompson, to guide us through a series of
advanced sailing techniques. As professional coaches and single-handed racers, Pip and
Brian are masters at being methodical.
The articles in this booklet and our iPhone and iPad app and video series that go with
it show you how to go about painless, trouble-free spinnaker hoists and drops, how to
gybe fully crewed and short-handed, sail downwind under poled-out genoa, deal with a
broach and avoid the dreaded Chinese gybe, and they illustrate top tips on coaxing your
boat through light airs and show you how to helm like a pro upwind and downwind.
You can get the whole series of articles, photos and videos on the Yachting World Sail
Safe Sail Fast iPhone or iPad app – download the first two chapters free and buy the rest
for the bargain price of just £1.49 on Apple iTunes store.
If you’d like to watch the videos, just go to www.yachtingworld.com and click on the
Sail Safer Sail Faster icon.
We hope you enjoy the articles and they help make sailing faster even more enjoyable.
Elaine Bunting
Germany · United Kingdom* · Monaco · Denmark · Austria · Spain · Sweden · USA** · Australia
pantaenius.com
3
ADVANCED SAILING TECHNIQUES
1 AVOIDING A CHINESE GYBE
STARTING TO HEEL
EASE POLE FORWARD
STEER HIGH
PULL ON KICKER
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
yachtingworld.com
In the first of our new
12-part series on
Advanced Sailing
Techniques, professional
sailor and coach Pip Hare
guides you through how
to deal with a Chinese
gybe. To get the best out
of the series, combine this
feature with the exclusive
video on our home page
at yachtingworld.com
TOP TIP
When conditions start to become windier, watch the windward leading edge of the spinnaker; if the
head of the spinnaker is often rolling out to level with or to windward of the end of the pole, then pull
on the sheet a little to bring it back on board the boat.
Photos and video: Richard Langdon and Alistair Hyde-Tetley/Ocean Images
C
VIDEO EXTRA
Advanced
sailing
techniques
Scan this code on
your smartphone to
go straight to our
exclusive video of
part 1
See page 18 for QR code
instructions
4
hinese gybes on windy days are
a good spectator sport, but
with the right prompt
response they can be averted. This
type of accidental gybe is caused by
the boat heeling excessively to
windward. The centre of effort of the
spinnaker also moves to windward,
accentuating the angle of heel.
As this happens, the boat starts to
turn on her longer windward
waterline edge and bear away on her
own. As the boat heels, the surface
area of the rudder receives less water
so steering is less efficient and you
lose control, with the boat usually
ending up flat on her windward side
with the spinnaker pole in the water
and the boom in the air.
Inevitably, the point arrives when
the force of the wind on the mainsail
is no longer able to support the
weight of the boom, now up in the
air, and it comes crashing down.
82 YACHTING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
1Spinnaker
Your spinnaker is the biggest and
most powerful sail on the boat; so you
need to be the boss, depower it early
and stop it from wandering around and
excessively heeling the boat.
Having the centre of effort of the
spinnaker outside the footprint of the
boat, giving windward heel, is not
always a bad thing; but when the
breeze gets up and the boat starts to
roll, then it’s time to depower.
Start by gently easing the pole
forward and at the same time sheeting
on. This will move the centre of effort of
the sail back over the boat. It is
important to do this simultaneously.
Easing the pole forward rapidly and not
taking in on the sheet, will simply cause
the kite to swing round to leeward and
could put you into a broach.
Pull on your leeward tweaker or
barber-hauler and oversheet the
spinnaker slightly. This will have the
effect of bringing the sail down towards
the deck, flattening it a little and giving
it less scope to wander around.
Moving the pole down both on the
mast and on the outboard end will also
have the effect of ‘strapping’ the
spinnaker down, so lowering the centre
of effort and making it more stable.
With an asymmetric, pull on the tack
line. This will tighten the luff of the sail,
stopping it from wandering and taking
away some of the power.
2
Mainsail
The mainsail’s job in this situation
is to try to balance out the power in the
spinnaker and remove windward heel.
Pull on the kicker to keep the head of
the main powered up; this maintains a
counter force in the mainsail, pushing
the boat back over to leeward and also
stops wind spilling over the head of the
mainsail and into the top of the
spinnaker, making the situation worse.
When sailing short-handed or on
longer passages with a cross swell, you
could consider using a preventer to keep
the boom up in the air should you roll
excessively. This could give you vital
seconds to depower the spinnaker
before the boom comes crashing down.
But the preventer should be led forward
then back to the cockpit, in a place easy
to reach, so should the situation
deteriorate, you can let it down quickly.
3Steering
When the boat starts to roll, it is
easy to make it worse with excessive
use of the helm. Try to keep the boat
steady and make gradual changes – the
rudder requires water to be flowing over
it to steer so going full lock will simply
stall the boat.
Initially, try to steer the boat out of
the roll – remember it is not necessarily
because the boat has altered course
that you are in danger of gybing, but
because the boat is rolling to windward
and the boom is up in the air.
Gently steer the boat to a higher
wind angle and try to sail flat or with
slight leeward heel. A sudden rounding
up could send you straight into a broach.
4Be ready for a drop
Chinese gybes can be caused by
difficult sea conditions, perhaps an old
residual cross swell, but often they are
an indication that the boat is starting to
become overpowered. Recovery should
be followed by an assessment of the
conditions. Perhaps it is time to change
to a smaller spinnaker or go with a
poled-out headsail. Make sure your
cockpit is ready at all times for a drop.
Pilot guide
When short-handed sailing in marginal
conditions, it can often be the autopilot
that will Chinese gybe the boat. Most
pilots have controls now which can be
adjusted to help the unit react well to
these conditions, by balancing response
and counter rudder settings. However,
simply programming the pilot to steer
5 -10° high of the course while you are
off the deck will keep the boat safe.
Dos and don’ts
■ Do act early, as the wind
increases start to change
your spinnaker trim to keep
the sail depowered and
under control
■ Do keep your cockpit clear
so sheets and guys are
always ready to go
■ Don’t over-react – rapid
counter actions can cause
you to go straight into a
broach
Pip Hare is a
professional
skipper and
sailing coach
with a diverse experience of
racing and ocean sailing. Her
passion is solo and shorthanded offshore racing
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
5
YACHTING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 83
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES SERIES
11 DROPPING A SPINNAKER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
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The letterbox
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6
82
O
ne manoeuvre that really makes
my heart race when sailing
single-handed is a spinnaker
drop. It can seem like a recipe for disaster as
I will often be dropping because the wind
has increased. One problem and the wind or
sea could rip the sail from my hands – game
over. Good preparation and a mental
rehearsal of the process is my key to
success; take it step by step and don’t let
anything go until you are sure you are ready.
In Part 11 of this series I outline my tips
for dropping a spinnaker short-handed or
with a novice crew and on the accompanying
video you can see me and Hannah Jenner, a
former Clipper Race skipper who also won a
podium place in the Transat Jacques Vabre
2011, perform a double-handed drop.
YACHTING WORLD DECEMBER 2012
Preparation
Flake all lines involved in the drop:
the halyard, guy, tackline and also the lazy
sheets if you are using them. The latter are
often forgotten, but have the potential to
create an unseen knot and a whole heap of
problems. Make sure they will run free and
are not under anyone’s feet in the cockpit.
It is essential to steer the boat onto
a deep downwind course to reduce the
apparent wind and therefore the pressure
in the spinnaker.
If conditions are very rolly when I am
sailing single-handed, I even rig a preventer,
which allows me to set the pilot close to
dead downwind without the worry of the
boom gybing mid-manoeuvre.
Hoisting or unfurling the jib before the
drop, provides a natural windbreak to help
depower the spinnaker.
Symmetric drop
When you have prepared the boat
and your crew are ready, ease the guy fairly
quickly until the pole is at the forestay. The
windward clew will fall around behind the jib
and the sail will collapse.
At this point, start to gather in the foot
of the sail, letting off the rest of the guy, and
ease the halyard. Aim to let off around the
top one-fifth of the halyard very quickly –
this allows the head of the sail to blow away
from the boat and depower just long enough
for you to be able to pull the rest of the
spinnaker down away from the masthead
and into shelter behind the mainsail.
Then let the rest of the halyard out in
time with the crew retrieving the sail to keep
it out of the water.
If alone or short-handed the fast initial
release does not work, so I either leave a
wrap of halyard around the winch, using the
extra friction to control the speed of the
drop, or I throw the halyard out behind the
boat, then the drag of the line trailing
through the water will have the same effect.
Solo or short-handed, gather the foot all
the way into a sausage before releasing the
halyard, that way you can pull the whole sail
down under control.
Don’t simply let go of the halyard:
watch the crew too and if the sail is not
coming in fast enough, slow down the
rate of release.
When short-handed, take an extra
minute to ensure all lines will run
snag-free; one knot could ruin your day.
Think ahead: always be ready for a
drop should conditions change, mentally
run through the manoeuvre.
Snuffers
Asymmetrics and
cruising chutes
The same principles apply as for symmetric
drops, but the manoeuvre starts with a
quick ease of the tackline to allow the tack
of the sail to blow off downwind like a flag
and depower the sail. Your crew can then
pull on the lazy sheet to bring the chute
behind the mainsail once the tack is inside
the footprint of the boat; the halyard can be
released as already described.
Asymmetric sails which fly from a
bowsprit are more difficult to depower
before the drop because they are further
away from the boat in clean air. The initial
release of the tackline must be rapid; a
slow ease or a snagged line will cause the
spinnaker to stay full as it flies away from
the boat making it uncontrollable.
TOP TIPS
Pull snuffer smoothly
If you have a loose-footed main, a
letterbox drop is a safe and easy method,
especially if short-handed. Before the drop,
pull your lazy guy over the guardrails and
pass it between the foot of the mainsail and
the boom. Carry out the drop exactly as
before, but use the lazy guy to pull the sail
down between the boom and the mainsail.
This method has two advantages; first,
the spinnaker is pulled in from directly
behind the mainsail, meaning it is completely
shielded from the wind; and second, the
boom gives you an element of purchase,
should the sail fill with wind or even water.
I have used the letterbox method when
single-handing, including to drop my 108m2
spinnaker alone in some tough conditions.
Photos and video: Richard Langdon and Alistair Hyde-Tetley/Ocean Images
It’s a manoeuvre that makes even professional sailors
get the jitters, admits Pip Hare. But Part 11 of our series on
advanced sailing techniques reveals that the spinnaker
drop can be simple. Don’t forget to look on our website
yachtingworld.com for the accompanying video
Gather foot of sail
Flake lines in preparation
Above: Keep an
eye on your crew’s
progress when
easing the halyard
Unless it is very windy it is often easier
not to hoist the jib when using a snuffer, so
you can see clearly the top of the sail.
The basics of the manoeuvre are the
same; steer a deep downwind course and
prepare the cockpit beforehand. To depower
the sail, ease the sheet a little then the guy
or tackline as with a normal drop. Once the
sail collapses, start pulling the sock down.
In more difficult conditions run the
snuffer line through a snatch-block on the
foredeck and pull up on it. This will give you
a little purchase on the line and make it less
likely that you are taken off your feet if
a gust fills the sail and forces the snuffer up
again. In these sorts of conditions, gloves
and a safety harness are also a good idea.
You may also find by pulling the snuffer
down from the leeward side and close to the
mast you encourage the sail to fall in behind
the main and collapse in its shadow.
Once the sock is down, drop the halyard,
gathering the sock on the foredeck.
Your autopilot can help out in a drop
too. If your pilot has been steering to the
wind, reset it to steer in compass mode.
Increase the sensitivity by one or two
levels to make sure the computer reacts
to the sudden change in velocity and will
not allow a wave to round you into the
wind at the critical moment.
NEXT MONTH In Part 12 Pip Hare has
some suggestions as to what to do when it
all goes wrong and the kite is in the water
Pip Hare is a professional
skipper, sailing coach,
Yachtmaster Instructor
and Examiner with 80,000
miles’ experience. She has
raced solo in the OSTAR
and the Mini Transat
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
YACHTING WORLD DECEMBER 2012
7
83
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER
2 BROACHING
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES SERIES
Top tips for
short-handing
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
yachtingworld.com
using a lazy guy, ensure this will not
catch on anything or prevent an ease.
Keep the spinnaker sheet eased
until the boat is upright and starting
to get back on course – an insufficient
dump of the spinnaker sheet or
bringing it back on too early will cause
the boat to roll straight back into a
broach every time it tries to recover.
When reaching under spinnaker
be very sure not to let out the guy. This
will make the situation worse as the
pole will crash onto the forestay and
the spinnaker will slew to leeward,
heeling the boat even more.
A constant need to ease the
spinnaker is probably an indication
that it is time to take it down. As
always, have the halyard flaked, ready
to run and be ready to drop.
In the second part of our
new 12-part series on
Advanced Sailing
Techniques, professional
sailor and coach Pip Hare
guides you through what
to do when you start to
broach. To get the best out
of the series, combine this
feature with the exclusive
video on our home page
at yachtingworld.com
3Steering
Photos and video: Richard Langdon and Alistair Hyde-Tetley/Ocean Images
M
VIDEO EXTRA
Sail Faster
Sail Safer
Scan this code on
your smartphone to
go straight to our
exclusive video of
part 2
See page 16 for QR code
instructions
8
ost of us will be familiar with
that final pull on the helm
that cannot be overcome as
the boat rounds up to windward in
a massive broach. The ensuing chaos
can be hard to recover from, and
damaging both for the boat and for
crew morale.
Well-trimmed sails and keeping
a close eye on conditions can help to
avoid a lot of broaching situations.
However, in this article and the
accompanying video online I have
drawn on my own experiences, both
during solo ocean racing and when
coaching mixed ability crews
inshore, to highlight some key
points on how to recognise the early
warning signs of a broach.
I look here at how to trim the sails
to avoid losing control, as well as
steering, crew interaction, what to do
at night and when you are sailing
short-handed.
70 YACHTING WORLD MARCH 2012
■ Make sure all the crucial lines – kicker,
mainsheet and spinnaker sheet – are within
easy reach of the helm. Cross-winch across
the cockpit if necessary.
■ Put some luminous tape on the wheel so
at night you can tell at a glance how much
helm the autopilot is using.
1Mainsail
Prompt action with mainsail trim
can often be the simple answer to stop
a tug on the helm from becoming a full
wipe-out. On the first signs of a broach
a quick ease of the kicker will twist off
the top of the sail and so reduce the
heeling moment.
When reaching in gusty conditions,
the mainsail should always be well
eased, traveller down, with a backwind
‘bubble’ at the mast as the default trim.
Make sure the kicker is in easy reach
and if you are struggling to steer, place
a crewmember next to it. If you often
sail short-handed, think about leading
the kicker to a position in the cockpit
where it is more accessible. Doubleended systems are ideal.
If releasing the kicker does not
reduce sufficient pressure on the helm,
release the mainsheet until the boat
comes back upright. All these actions
will need to be done in quick succession,
and as always it is good practice to
make sure your mainsheet is kept flaked
and ready to run out.
If you continually need to ease the
main, then it is maybe time to reef;
shortening the mainsail can make the
boat easier to manage with less heel
and often an insignificant loss of speed.
2Spinnaker
Broaching can occur under any sail
plan; it is not a spinnaker-specific
occurrence, though having the
spinnaker up can make it a more
intimidating experience.
If the mainsail cannot be depowered
enough to prevent a broach, the
spinnaker sheet is the only remaining
‘get out of jail’ line.
Immediately ease out a large
amount of spinnaker sheet until you
feel the boat start to come upright or
the helmsman tells you they have
feeling back in the rudder. If you are
A broach can be averted by good
communication between helmsman
and crew. A first indication of a broach
will be a marked increase in weather
helm which it is difficult to steer
against; at this point the helmsman
must involve the crew.
The crew will not always know
exactly how much kicker or sheet to
let off and when, so to avoid all sails
being dumped every time the boat
heels over, the helmsman must keep
the crew informed.
If, despite easing sheets, the boat
continues to broach, pump the helm
by bearing away hard, steering
straight, then bearing away hard
again. However, if you do not regain
control you will get to a point where
that is no longer effective. At this
point, try putting the helm back to
centre. With eased sheets and a little
patience the boat should come
upright and start to move forward,
water will start flowing over the
rudder and you will be able to steer
downwind to avoid another broach.
If you are continually having to
ease the sheet to avoid a broach, try
steering a little lower or changing
your sail plan.
DEPOWER THE MAIN
EASE THE SHEET
4Under autopilot
Autopilots are particularly
sensitive to gusts and waves when
reaching and so a change in
conditions can cause the pilot to
broach quite easily.
Keep an eye on how hard your pilot
is working. As conditions worsen,
increase response level to help it cope.
Trim the sails to the pilot and not the
other way around. Think about taking
in a reef earlier when using the pilot
in potential broaching conditions –
remember, it is not able to tell you to
release the kicker.
STEER DOWNWIND
Dos and don’ts
■ Do stay calm and keep talking
■ Do ensure sheets are flaked
and ready to run out
■ Do practise reaching in gusty
conditions to learn how quickly
your boat responds
■ Don’t shout
■ Don’t ease the guy
■ Be ready to reduce sail before
you stop enjoying sailing
TRIM SAILS TO PILOT
Pip Hare is a
professional skipper,
sailing coach,
Yachtmaster
Instructor and Examiner with 80,000
miles’ experience. She has raced solo
in the OSTAR and the Mini Transat
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
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YACHTING WORLD MARCH 2012 71
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES SERIES
12 SPINNAKER PROBLEMS
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
yachtingworld.com
Photos and video: Richard Langdon and Alistair Hyde-Tetley/Ocean Images
What can you do when it all goes horribly wrong with the
spinnaker? In Part 12 of our series on advanced sailing
techniques Pip Hare says that there’s no need to panic and
offers advice on sorting the problems. Don’t forget to look
on yachtingworld.com for the accompanying video
VIDEO
EXTRA
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10
94
I
have encountered more than my
fair share of problems with the
spinnaker when single-handed
and it can be a total nightmare. The size and
power of the sail that drags you through the
water at such great speed work against you
when you have a problem. This can make a
solution seem almost impossible.
Getting the sail back under control or
into the boat is a job for the head before the
hands and here are a few of the techniques
I use to sort things out when it all goes wrong.
Spinnaker in water
The two crucial initial actions are to slow the
boat down and to stop the spinnaker from
taking a net shape and filling with water, but
YACHTING WORLD JANUARY 2013
to get it to stream out as one long piece.
To slow the boat down, turn towards
the wind just enough to make the mainsail
depower, leaving the spinnaker on the
leeward side of the boat. Hold the boat on
this angle if you can.
Try to get the spinnaker to stream out; I
normally let go one of the clews immediately
by releasing the sheets from the sail, first
making sure the other is secure.
Next try to get the head of the spinnaker
to lie flat on the water – as long as it is up in
the air it will be powered up and the sail will
be close to impossible to pull in.
There are a couple of ways to do this, but
you need to think on your feet. Often there
will be a moment when the head of the sail
is within reach; there would be no point in
pulling it in as there is too much pressure
in the sail, but if you can act quickly and
release the halyard from the head of the
sail this could be a major step as the sail will
stream out on top of the water and with a bit
of perseverance you can pull it in.
On smaller boats it is a good idea to
have halyards long enough to allow the
head of the spinnaker to lie flat on the water
momentarily should you have a mishap.
Obviously this technique would not work on
larger boats; however, if you regularly sail
short-handed I would recommend a long
halyard with a knot in the very end.
Once you have the sail flat on the water,
it is time to pull it in. Start from a corner,
bunch the sail into a sausage and pull it in
small sections. If you are struggling, use
ropes and winches; tie a rolling hitch around
a section of sail, lead the tail of the rope
under the guardrails and into the cockpit,
then wind the sail in, lock it off and tie
another one further down the sail. Time and
doggedness will get the job done.
Spinnaker wrap
This normally occurs when the
spinnaker has been packed incorrectly
or the two bottom corners are too close
together during the hoist.
Prevention first: take your time to pack
Tie rolling hitch and winch in
Allow spinnaker to stream
the spinnaker away properly each time and,
as mentioned in the hoisting feature in
Part 10 (November issue), make sure your
tackline or guy is pulled on before you hoist,
even if you are using a snuffer.
If the sail ‘wine glasses’ during a hoist,
don’t drop the jib immediately as this will be
acting as a good windbreak for you to work
behind. Bring the guy back about halfway to
expose the leading edge of the spinnaker to
the wind while sailing deep, but not
dead downwind.
If the twist is high up close to the head
of the sail, try sheeting on, easing the
spinnaker halyard about a metre.
These actions together should open the
foot of the sail, encouraging wind to funnel
in, while allowing the head to fly slightly
away from the mast, giving the halyard
shackle a chance to swivel.
With luck the wind in the foot of the sail
will force the twist upwards and it will spin
out at the head.
If the wine glass is larger or further down
the sail, this method may not work, so ease
the guy forward and allow the body of the
spinnaker to rotate behind the jib. Then
grab the leech of the sail and pull down on
it (make sure you let go if it starts filling),
slowly work your way up the leech as far as
you can go, pulling the twist out.
If all else fails, drop the spinnaker, sort it
out and rehoist. If you end up with a megatwist inside a snuffer, this will mean you will
have to drop the sail, then lift the bucket and
sort it out.
will often untwist the spinnaker, reversing the
action it has just made.
Pull in steadily
Wrap around the
forestay
Above: How
to deal with a
spinnaker that has
fallen in the water
Wine glass in the
asymmetric
With an asymmetric spinnaker and inside
gybing this usually happens because the
clew of the sail has not been pulled through
the forestay quickly enough and the body
of the sail has been allowed to rotate well
forward of the luff and twist up.
A light wrap close to the head of the sail
can sometimes be forced out by pulling on
the new sheet and heading up into the wind
to force air into the foot and the twist up and
out – again a small ease on the halyard can
help the head rotate.
With larger wraps keep the boat further
downwind to reduce the force in the sail
and pull like crazy on the new sheet to try
to stretch the leech out and force the sail to
unwrap itself.
If this fails, trying gybing back again, this
When making longer passages and at night
the spinnaker can float into the boat if
momentarily deflated and wrap itself around
the forestay. This generally happens on
downwind courses and in lighter breeze.
A couple of tricks I use to guard against
this are to hoist my smallest headsail and
sheet it into the middle of the boat while
sailing downwind. If the jib is sheeted in hard
it has minimum effect on the spinnaker and
it becomes impossible for the sail to wrap.
The other method is to make a Belgian
jib. This works very well if you have a
babystay. Take the jib halyard and wrap it
from the forestay around the babystay and
back a couple of times, making a net so the
spinnaker cannot pass through.
If you do not have a babystay, but do have
a second jib or spinnaker halyard, then try
taking this down to the toerail on the leeward
side and do the same thing.
Pip Hare is a professional
skipper, sailing coach,
Yachtmaster Instructor
and Examiner with 80,000
miles’ experience. She has
raced solo in the OSTAR
and the Mini Transat
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
YACHTING WORLD JANUARY 2013
11
95
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES SERIES
10 HOISTING A SPINNAKER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
yachtingworld.com
The jib as windbreak
free when you pull out a retractable
bowsprit, so it does not take the spinnaker
out with it. When ready for the hoist, pull on
the tack line, then the halyard then the sheet.
Sheet on once hoisted
Hoist at the mast for speed
TOP TIPS
Hoist the bucket to expose the head of the spinnaker
If flying a spinnaker short-handed it
is a good idea to ‘wool’ the spinnaker
before each hoist in order to be sure that
it does not fill too early.
Tidy up
Finally once the spinnaker is set, put
away your jib and tidy the cockpit. Always
make sure your halyard and windward
sheets and guys are flaked and ready for
a quick drop.
If you do not want to wool the whole
spinnaker then just do the first couple
of metres of the leading corner. Keeping
the tack or the windward clew bound will
allow you to pull the leading edge of the
sail out and as a result be confident that
it will not start filling. This tip also works
well with snuffers.
Snuffers
Photos and video: Richard Langdon and Alistair Hyde-Tetley/Ocean Images
It’s the cause of many a club-bar yarn and fills many
yachtsmen with dread. Yet in Part 10 of our series on
advanced sailing techniques Pip Hare says the spinnaker
hoist can be simple. Don’t forget to look on our website
yachtingworld.com for the accompanying video
VIDEO
EXTRA
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12
92
T
he basic principles of hoisting a
spinnaker are easy to grasp. More
importantly, they are the same
whether you are sailing fully crewed, shortor single-handed and use an asymmetric or
a symmetric spinnaker – get it to the top of
the mast in one go and without twists.
The secret to a successful hoist is to
break the manoeuvre down – that way you
can understand the constituent parts and
the order in which each should happen.
Through this technique I have taught total
novices to hoist successfully and also
manage large spinnakers single-handed.
Preparation
Take your time to prepare for the
hoist: clear winches, set your pole height,
YACHTING WORLD NOVEMBER 2012
make sure your sheet will be free to run and
the tweakers are off. Double-check that the
halyards, sheets and guys are not twisted.
A good briefing to your crew or a mental
run-through if alone is essential to success;
plan each part of the hoist in sequence and
make sure there is only one person
conducting the orchestra.
Hoist a symmetric
This is usually best done behind the
jib, which will act as a windbreak, prevent a
forestay wrap and give you more of a chance
to get the spinnaker up before it fills.
Oversheet the jib to give the spinnaker a
more direct route to the top of the mast.
Steer a safe downwind course, reducing
the apparent wind. If you are using the pilot,
set it up in compass mode, with the
response levels high enough to cope with
any waves. Be prepared to wait for a minute
after engaging it just to make sure that any
swell is not knocking you off course.
Pull on the guy, until the pole is about a
metre off the forestay; this helps to prevent
wraps by keeping the two clews apart. But
be aware that if you pull it too far around, the
spinnaker will be exposed to the wind and
could fill before you get the head to the top.
Hoist from the mast, with someone
tailing in the cockpit. If you do a lot of
short-handed sailing it’s a good idea to put
a small cleat on the mast to take the load of
the halyard once hoisted while you tail it
through to the jammer aft.
If you have enough crew, start to bring
on the guy during the hoist, so that the sail
comes out from behind the jib and at the
correct angle of trim.
Once the spinnaker is hoisted, sheet on.
If racing you can consider sheeting on
mid-hoist, but make sure someone is willing
to wind up the last few feet of halyard – it’s
much tougher! Easing the tweakers will help
to spill wind from the sail if needed.
Hoist an asymmetric
The same rules as for the symmetric
spinnaker apply; take your time to set up the
hoist and ensure your tackline is completely
Snuffers make the job of hoisting a
spinnaker easier. The compromise is they
mean you lose a little sail area from the head
of the sail and have more weight at the top of
the rig. Snuffers are easiest to operate from
a clear foredeck, so to avoid a tangle put
away the jib and give yourself some space.
Again, take time to prepare: get your pole
set up or your tack clipped on if you are
flying a cruising chute from a fixed point on
the bow. Snuffer lines have a habit of
tangling while they are in the bag, so lay out
the line on deck and ensure that the snuffer
line will end up on same side as you when
you attach the sheets, guys or tacklines.
Hoist the snuffer first, then pull on the
tack line or the guy. Be careful in breezier
conditions as this could allow wind to funnel
up the snuffer and start your hoist early.
Before raising the sock it is sometimes
a good idea to reach all the way inside the
snuffer and pull down on the spinnaker to
make sure it is not bunched up in the first
third of the sock – this is where most of the
spinnaker lies. With this done, once the tack
or guy are pulled out, pull on the sheet a
little, so the spinnaker will fill gently as the
snuffer goes up rather than just flap.
Ensure you pull the bucket right up to
expose the head of the spinnaker – it is easy
to miss this last little bit – then tie it off to an
easily accessible place on the deck so that
you are ready to drop quickly.
How the experts do it
Above: solo sailor
Brian Thompson
offers his tips on our
video (see far left)
Here’s a neat trick used by
professional solo sailors – mark everything
to make hoisting easier. By marking the
guys and sheets at the perfect position for
the hoist, you can pre-set them and be sure
you get it right every time. This is also true of
halyards because it lets you focus on the
rope while you are hoisting and not stop
until the sail has reached the mast head; it is
easy to miss the last metre of the hoist,
especially at night, thereby sacrificing speed
and making the sail less stable. Hoisting to a
mark will mean you get it right every time.
If the spinnaker does twist as it is
hoisted, don’t panic! Try spreading the
clews by pulling the pole back and
sheeting on. If the twist is high up in the
sail, ease the halyard about a metre. This
moves the head of the sail away from the
mast and gives it room to rotate. The
twist sometimes works its own way out.
NEXT MONTH In Part 11 Pip Hare examines
the delicate art of dropping the spinnaker
Pip Hare is a professional
skipper, sailing coach,
Yachtmaster Instructor
and Examiner with 80,000
miles’ experience. She has
raced solo in the OSTAR
and the Mini Transat
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER with
YACHTING WORLD NOVEMBER 2012
13
93
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