Sailing with a spinnaker

It seems to me that many sailors, particularly beginners, are quite frightened of sailing with a spinnaker. There's no need to be. But there are some basic traps to be avoided.

I have sailed in scores of ocean races, including 14 Sydney to Hobarts, and the best way I can illustrate what I mean is to tell you about an incident when I sailed as Navigator and local knowledge for a Russian crew.

They were from St Petersburg - and they were very much the modern Russian, smart, self-assured and commercially aware. Though they were 20 years out of date in their sailing techniques they were almost arrogant in their belief that they were not. This was to lead to some firm discussions between us.

We were running before a good hard northerly on the second day of the race. The wind had been blowing for some time so that the seas, even though they were running with the current, had become significant although not big.

I pointed out to the skipper that the big spinnaker was four or five feet from the top of its hoist, which naturally was causing the boat to get into a heavy rolling pattern. Also the crew had not fitted a choker to the sheet, which was not helping.

At first he pretended not to hear me. Then he said, "This is not the Russian way." I insisted that not only was this heavy rolling slowing the boat down but that there were very great pressures being put on the mast. He insisted, still, that this was not the Russian way.
I snappily replied he would lose the mast - but it was no satisfaction to me when that happened only half an hour or so later. We were out of the race.

(By the way it is something to see when 12 fit strong young Russians, who don't have much money but a lot of incentive, recover from a broken mast. They had the whole thing back on board within 2 minutes and then had the problem of about 15 feet of overhang bow and stern. It didn't matter much at the bow, but with the mast in the steep seas at the stern the helmsman had a struggle to counteract the sweep effect. The mast was trying to steer the boat.)

A better way to sail under spinnaker

If that's the wrong way what is the right way? For a start, never, ever (to coin a phrase) fail to pull the spinnaker halyard, and the spinnaker, right to the top of its hoist. The moment the spinnaker starts to sway from side to side the forward drive of the boat is lost. That's bad in its own right, but as I pointed out, that puts strains on the boat that are far too dangerous. For instance the steering comes under enormous pressure as the side of the boat starts to take control and the helmsman has to use all pressure to try to counteract. If he fails the boat broaches, of course.

The choker, which I mentioned to the Russians, is another way of preventing the death rolls. It is a simple arrangement which may be as basic as tying a line over the sheet, tying a bowline in that line and pulling the standing part through a block and to a winch so that the sheet is pulled down and in to the side of the boat. On some boats a special open-sided block is used which sits over the sheet and then goes through another block in the same way. As tension is put on the line, and the sheet pulled down again, the spinnaker is held firm and any tendency to roll is counteracted.

While the main way to learn how to sail with spinnakers in heavy weather is to practice, there are a couple of good basic rules to learn. In the first place always keep the boat under the spinnaker. This apparently silly little phrase is actually the best rule to know. It means that if the boat rolls to starboard steer 'under the spinnaker' to starboard and counteract the movement of the hull. By this I don't mean giving a big swing on the wheel and making the boat turn to 45 degrees. It is more a little kick.

The next rule is to reef down. When the boat starts being hard-pressed when running it is because the pressure in the mainsail is trying to turn the boat to the side opposite the main. At its extreme the helmsman won't be able to counteract this and the boat will broach. For this reason it is best to take a reef in the main (not always easy when the sail is pressed against the shrouds) but nevertheless take a slab out of the sail and so reduce the turning moment. Of course, in the end, no amount reefing is going to allow you to keep the spinnaker up.

But all is not lost. Even without the spinnaker the boat can be kept moving very fast and safe by using two headsails.

Learn more about sailing with spinnakers in The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship, http://www.theboatingbible.com

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