Cruisers Can Fly Spinnakers Too!

So are you sick of your jib flogging around when you turn the boat down wind? Do you dread heading down wind because you know the boat’s performance will drastically suffer?

Somehow the thought of the spinnaker is always nice, but when it really comes down to it, MAN that’s a lot of work! Not to mention things can really get pretty hairy, pretty quickly, especially if you are short handed. So instead, if it is windy enough,  you could just furl the head sail in and sail main only, or just head-up and sail the longer tacks in exchange for boat speed.

RIGHT?

Well, have a look at these options for downwind sailing that are making their way into the cruising world. In the wind range specified by the sailmaker, a cruising asymmetrical spinnaker (gennaker) or code sail, flown from a fixed, retractable or removable sprit can make a tremendous difference on the boat’s overall performance. These sails can handle many points of sail from the close reach to just above dead down. You may say this isn’t for cruisers, but I beg to differ. Just because you cruise a sailboat doesn’t mean you don’t want to get there in the fastest way possible….it is sailing after all.

A snuffer is one common way for a cruising crew to manage a spinnaker. Snuffers have traditionally been the choice of most in hoisting, setting, and dousing the spinnaker with more ease. These snuffers however, can be clunky, heavy, and difficult to manage in a big blow from the bow. Besides that, who really wants that giant bucket and all of that fabric aloft, resting on the head of their spinnaker? Enter…the other options; the Code Zero furler, a tried and true system that has been used successfully not just by racers but also by many cruisers. Then there is the Top-down Furler system, which was, from what I understand, a system initially developed to allow mega yacht owners a manageable spinnaker deployment solution. After many years of success in the big boat and racing world, Top-down furlers and Code Zero Furler’s have entered the mid level cruising boat market.

A top-down furler transmits rotation up an anti-torsion cable and starts wrapping the asymmetric spinnaker at its head; a separate tack swivel lets the tack turn independently. A conventional bottom-up code-sail system wraps from the luff, often around a cable incorporated into the sail. Cable-free code sails use a different, sail-specific design. Ask the sailmaker whether your existing sail can be adapted. These arrangements are not universally interchangeable: compatible drums, swivels, tack fittings and cables must be specified together. A correctly configured system still needs suitable halyard tension, controlled sheets and a practised furling technique.

Compare the TRC Facnor FX+ 1500 top-down package and other sizes, or the Harken Reflex system for the appropriate sail. These are different configurations, so confirm the sail and rig requirements before ordering.

Turns out, to be able to sail downwind with big sails isn’t just for heavily crewed race boats anymore!

Some General Notes on Code Zero Sails vs Asymmetrical Spinnakers: The Code sail and asymmetrical spinnaker offer two entirely different sailing angles. The Code sail will typically be flown on a beam reach or thereabouts. With the code sail, the sewn-in torsional rope offers a more rigid luff, which can be useful for generating power when working upwind to a close reach in light airs. The asymmetrical spinnaker is typically cut to have a nice full and loose luff, offering optimum downwind performance from just below the beam reach to just above dead-down.

Both Code Zero and Top-down furlers utilize continuous furling lines, as the sails may require more or less furling depending on the wind strength. Both designs will also require the drum to be extended out in front of the foremost stay or furler. This allows the sail to be well projected out in front of the boat when sailing downwind. It also mitigates the risk of the furler getting wrapped up in the other bow-gear, stays, masthead gear or other foresail furlers. The best way to achieve this forward attachment point is by way of sprit, removable sprit or an anchor roller only if its structure and attachment are specifically designed for those sail loads (see links above).

PLEASE NOTE: Although we recommend this as a precaution regardless of sail choice, when using a sprit the use of a Bob-stay  is highly recommended where the sprit design requires it, to counter the immense upward loading of the sail and the halyard.

Want to learn about some more downwind options? For sailing ‘dead down’ (or there about), from light to moderately heavy conditions, you may want to check this out.

Leave us a comment below  we’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

~T.R.C.