From: bennett@reg.triumf.ca (P.Bennett)
Subject: Re: sail-handling question
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: TRIUMF: Tri-University Meson Facility
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 07:06:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.014623.23621@cs.brown.edu>, jfh@cs.brown.edu (John F. Hughes) writes...
>I went out sailing with my friend Jim today, and made a slightly bad decision.
>It was blowing about 10-12 knots, and we decided, as a lark, to hoist the
>spinnaker. Jim's decent on a boat, but he's not done much spinnaker work. I
>did the foredeck setup, and then we switched places for the hoist---he did the
>halyard work and I steered and handled the sheet/guy. 
> 
>So here's my question: suppose you have only two people, and want to handle 
>a spinnaker. How do you do it? I've got self-tailing winches in easy reach of
>the helmsperson, so the person at the helm can perhaps handle the sheet or the
>guy, but handling both is a bit much. 
>   Specifics: 
>(1) Would you recommend rigging the jibe preventer on the main? 

I don't use one - just another line to handle.

>(2) Who should handle the sheet and who should handle the guy? 
>(3) During hoisting, the helmsperson can only really deal with one of the two
>controls. Which is more important to get right first, sheet or guy?

The guy is less frequently adjusted, and can be pre-set before the hoist, as
the pole is normally set at about right angles to the wind.  For
double-handing, the crew should probably play the sheet, either cleating it, or
passing it to the helmsman when the guy needs adjustment.  The guy doesn't need
to be played like the sheet, just adjusted when the apparent wind changes
significantly. (the size of "significantly" will vary, depending on hwo
seriously you are racing :-) )

>(4) My pole has a bridle for the pole-lift, but no bridle for a foreguy or
>any attachment on deck for it. Any suggestions about where I might rig the
>attachment point? 
> 
A bridle on the pole, or even just an eye strap in the middle, would be useful. 
The foreguy could go through a block at the base of the forestay, or lashed to
a mooring cleat, if you don't want to mount a block for the purpose.

I normally single-hand, and fly a spinnaker, on a Yamaha 30' sloop.  My boat
has a tiller, and i have a friction device so the tiller stays (more or less)
where I put it.  When hoisting the 'chute, I lift the pole, and tighten and
cleat the guy to put the pole at (or near) the right angle, and pull the sheet
as well (and cleat it), so both clews are out of the bag. Then, straddling the
tiller, and steering with my knees, I hoist the sail.  Once the sail is up, I
can improve the pole position, and/or play the sheet, while steering with my
knees (or depending on the tiller holder for short periods).  Self-tailing
winches do help, but I did this on my previous boat (28') without them.

Peter Bennett VE7CEI                | Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight
Internet: bennett@erich.triumf.ca   | of one another only when one can be
Bitnet:   bennett@triumfer          | observed visually from the other
TRIUMF, Vancouver, B.C., Canada     |                          ColRegs 3(k)

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