High-Performance Sailing

Spinnaker uphaul & retrieval

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Vlad had patented this "one-handed" assymetric spinnaker system

(Scroll down to see explanatory text from Owner's Manual)

drawing7spinhalyard.jpg

This is a scan of page 20 of the original Owner's Manual

SPINNAKER RETRIEVAL SOCK:

To attach the spinnaker retrieval sock, place it on the port side behind the front wing and tie-down through the grommets and holes on the wing. With one of the thin, short lines (miscellaneous), tie-down the rear end of the sock to the eyestrap on the port side (the same one used to attach the mainsheet bridle). The spinnaker sock needs to be tight without any wrinkles so the spinnaker slides in and out easily.

SPINNAKER HALYARD/TACK/RETRIEVAL LINES (Drawing 7 above)

TAKE your mast down again (first untie some of the mainsail controls)

TIE ON a spinnaker halyard block to the top of the mast at the opening of the luff sleeve. You need to use the small bullet block with the shackle, which will allow the block to turn and twist easily, thus reducting the halyard loads. Attach the spinnaker halyard block in the middle of the sleeve cutout near the top of the mast. Using a 3/32" line, tie a bowline to the block and then attach to the mast using a clove hitch. Tighten this hitch and then add a single hitch under the clove hitch. Tighten and finish with an overhand know snug against the last hitch.

TIE-DOWN the spinnaker halyard to the becket of the running block, which you should palce on the starboard side of the deck a couple of feet behind the front wing. Run it forward through the turning block, located just in front of the wing, then back through the running block and forward again through the stand-up block. Finally, run it up to the spinnaker halyard block attached to the mast and down to the spinnaker head.

TIE-DOWN the retrieval line to the end of the running block. Run it through the two bullseyes and the raised cam cleat (they are located on the deck, just to the starboard of the daggerboard trunk), over the hiking strap, through the bullseye on the port side, through the spinnaker sock and up to the patches on the spinnaker.

TIE-DOWN the spinnaker halyard to the spinnaker head. Now you are ready to step the mast again.

PULL THE halyard/retrieval line just behind the second bullseye and host the spinnaker. The halyard will cleat automatically.

INSTALL THE bowsprit. Just slide it into the socket in the front of the boat.

TIE-DOWN the tack line to the becket of the running block then run it forward through the eyestrap on the end of the bowsprit and tie-down to the spinnaker tack. When the spinnaker is fully hoisted, the tack should come as close as possible to the end of the bowsprit.

NOW RUN the retrieval line through the lower patch on the port side of the spinnaker. Make a "figure-eight" know 2 ft. from the line's end and run it through the upper patch. Now the upper spinnaker patch is between the two "figure-eight" knots. WHy two? This way, when you pull the retrieval line, the lower know is pushing the lower patch and the upper knot is pushing the upper patch, separating them. The spinnaker will slide into the sock more evenly and smoothly, without jamming.

LET'S TRY IT. To pull the spinnaker down, first release the halyard from the risen cam cleat, then pull the retrieval line through the sock until the spinnaker is completely inside. Only the three corners will stick out - ready for the next hoist. Try to hoist and retrieve it a few times to get used to how it works.

SPINNAKER SHEET:

THE LAST thing to attach is the spinnaker sheet. Tie-down the sheet to the spinnaker clew, run it through the bullsey on the side rail, across the boat through the bullseye on the other side, forward in front of the mast and then tie-down the other end to the spinnaker clew as well. As you can see, the spinnaker sheet is a continuous line so you can conveniently grab it at any point.

NOW YOUR spinnaker is completely rigged. It if sounds a little complicated, just go through the routine a few times and you'll soon realize how easy it is.

Go faster, go further, go safer.