Short-Handed Spinnaker Tips For Cruisers

Lots of us are loath to unleash the coloured beast that lives in a bag in the forepeak, but it’s easily tamed.

- Vyv Cox

Many cruisers look on a spinnaker as some sort of malevolent entity, waiting to pounce on the unwary, wrapping itself around forestays, broaching the boat unpredictably or shredding itself without warning at vast expense. Horror stories are sometimes published describing blood-curdling tales of shooting the wrapped spinnaker to pieces with a Very pistol, yachts with young children aboard hurtling downwind out of control, yachts T-boned when spinnakers on other boats get out of control, and so on.

Honestly, it doesn’t have to be like that. Jill and I invariably sail with no other crew, flying our large, masthead spinnaker on every possible occasion, launching it in true winds of up to about 15 knots and holding on to it for some five or so more than that. The principles for using it are well publicised and not covered in depth here. For short-handed crews, particularly those not as young as they were, I describe a few small requirements and techniques that will make things easier.

The first requirement is that the sail should be contained in a special bag, called a ‘turtle’. This is broad-mouthed, supported around the mouth by battens to enable it to launch and be recovered quickly. It has a base of netting to allow water to drain from it if the kite gets wet. On the outside there are several ties and hooks to help hold it open and attach it to the boat. Ours has Velcro loops on the inside, to which the corners of the sail are attached when the sail is stowed, avoiding embarrassing hoists next time the sail is flown. To this end it also helps to have the head, starboard and port clews identified on the sail.