First time spinnaker users often ask us questions about spinnaker sailing. These questions are much broader than just the spinnaker itself, such as “where should I tack the spinnaker?” or “what extra hardware do I need to sail a spinnaker?”.
Here are below some basic questions and answers about sailing your first spinnaker.
1. Where should you tack the spinnaker?
Most cruisers do not bother with a sprit, for the sake of simplicity. The bow roller and its neighborhood are an ideal option, because of the strength of that area designed to handle the efforts caused by the chain and anchor kit, and hold the boat….
There is no one size fits all solution, but it is rare than you cannot find a good location – and often with limited or no modifications.
However, you need to realize that with a bow location rather than a sprit location, you will have a slightly smaller sail. It does not go all the way to the deck, as you want the tack to remain 40-50 cm above deck, so that you do not have undue wear and tear against the pulpit and other apparatus (drum of furling genoa, etc.). This is usually not an issue for cruisers, unless you sail in a very low wind location.
Our standard spinnaker sizing guides takes that into account (people that go with a bowsprit can definitely go bigger; we do these recommendations on a one on one basis based on the bowsprit length and boat type).
2. How will you launch and retrieve the spinnaker?
For first timers and short-handed situations, especially cruisers, a high quality sock is a proven solution. The sock, when raised, gets stored on a piece of cable or stainless steel 20 to 40cm long that sits between the halyards shackle and the sail head. The head is therefore 20 to 40 cm short of the full hoist position it would have without a sock; and the sail luff length needs to be a little shorter accordingly, so that the tack can also stay where it should be…
Our standard size recommendations included in our “find your boat” pages do not take this into account, but we also ask our customers about a retrieving system and adjust our recommendations accordingly before placing an order in production.
3. What spinnaker should I get for my boat?
An asymmetrical spinnaker is the most effective spinnaker sail for a first time user.
Our standard cut spinnakers are meant to offer an all around performance in a broad range of wind conditions for the boat that has only one spinnaker on board.
We use Contender cloth, either Nylite or Maxilite which is perfect for a first spinnaker. (we of course have more cloth available) .
You can find cloth specs here:
Our base price gives you a choice between tricolor, all red, all blue or all white. You can choose to personalize your spinnaker and color your spinnaker (see our colorizer) for a small premium. Our price includes a cinch bag.
Here are some examples of cruising asymmetricals as sent by our customers.
4. What additional hardware should you consider to sail a spinnaker?
- a tack block (see location discussion above) and a tack line, ideally going back to the cockpit so that you can adjust tack height under way, higher with more luff curve for running, lower with a tighter luff for reaching.
- a pair of sheets: I find the premium ropes guides very useful – for sheets and everything else.
- Sheet length recommendation, is generally twice the boat length for an asymmetrical spinnaker, details courtesy of premium ropes here:
- Their diameter advice is here:
- Here is their product recommendation guide for cruisers.
- a pair of sheet blocks that you will snap on the rail, before leading the sheets back to the winch.
Flying an asymmetrical is pretty simple, and with the above, you will be equipped to get your boat faster downwind.
