Yachts & Yachting — March 2018

Fast40+ have a slightly

different process to most

boats of a similar size

thanks to their take-down

systems, but the core

principles remain the same:

1. Even when chased
   hard by other boats it’s
   vital to be methodical in

checking everything is

properly set up with no

chance of any snags.

2. If necessary don’t be
   shy about hoisting the
   jib early, but wait for the
   signal from the tactician.


3. On the Fast40+ the

sheet is eased at the

same time as the retrieval

line is tensioned.

4. The take-down system
   means the sail is rapidly
   pulled into the forepeak.


5. The manoeuvre takes
   only five or six seconds

from releasing the

sheet to the sail being

completely doused...

6. ...However in this
   case it is another five
   seconds before the
   bow is at the mark –
   there are few prizes
   for a late drop!

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56

KEELBOAT PLAYBOOK SPINNAKER DROPS

release all three corners of the sail at

once. This mistake is most often seen

when dropping the sail in a broach, after

the sheet has already been dumped.

Letting go of the guy or tack line will

result in the sail flying horizontally

from the masthead. Releasing the

halyard then makes matters worse.

Instead, before the guy or tack line

is released, rapidly release roughly

60 per cent of the halyard. The idea

is to keep the top third of the sail

in the air, and filling, with the rest

floating on or just above the water.

This makes it easy to start the process

of retrieving it with the lazy sheet.

The guy or tack line is then released

once the sail is under control and

already partially on board.

Once the halyard is released, the

boat is likely to come upright, enabling

the driver to regain control. This

also gives the option to rehoist the

spinnaker and continue, putting you

back in the race. A word of caution,

however: think carefully about doing

so with an old spinnaker – a common

failure mode is when the spinnaker

fills with a bang, when you have little

boat speed and lots of apparent wind.

Watch video from

the Playbook series

online at yachtsand

yachting.co.uk

6. SEWER
   On some boats, particularly short-
   handed or offshore in conditions
   in which the forehatch needs to be
   kept closed, the sail will go down the
   main companionway, so the person
   doing pit is also gathering the sail and
   stuffing it down the hatch. However,
   inshore, especially on a larger boat
   someone (often trim 3) will be given
   the responsibility of going below decks
   to drag the sail down into the forepeak.
   The speedier you can complete the task
   and get back on deck, the better, so you
   can get your weight out on the rail.
   Larger grand prix boats like Fast40+
   and TP52s now get around this with their
   take-down systems. These essentially
   operate in a similar way to a dinghy’s
   spinnaker chute, with the retrieval line
   taken to a winch drum with a high spin
   speed connected to the pedestal system.


7. CALL ‘CLEAR TO TACK’
   This is all too often forgotten by the
   foredeck team, but it’s vital for the
   tactician to be told when enough
   of the spinnaker gear has been
   cleared away to be able to tack. This
   is particularly important on boats
   with symmetric spinnakers where
   the pole needs to be cleared away.


8. AVOID PACKING THE KITE
   If possible, it is worth trying to avoid
   having to pack the kite at all during a
   race, as doing so takes time and
   means there’s less weight on the rail.
   Smaller sportsboats like J/70s and
   Melges 24s can re-hoist directly from the
   main companionway and there is
   no reason this can’t be replicated
   on yachts of up to around 30ft in
   most conditions. Equally, if the
   sail has been lowered into the
   forepeak, then the same sail can be
   rehoisted without being repacked.
   Most boats are set up such that a
   different kite can be hoisted from a bag
   on the rail, but the first one must be
   repacked before it’s used again. Adam
   Gosling’s JPK10.80 Yes! gets around
   this with a leecloth in the forepeak that
   allows two spinnakers to be stowed
   ready for action – one on each side.
   This eliminates the need to bag the
   sail and makes it easy to swap the
   sheets and halyard to the other one.

Heavy weather drops

Sometimes a kite has to be dropped

in a rush, which is when things can

go badly wrong. In particular, it’s

SEQUENCE: MATTHEW CARKEEK/CARKEEK DESIGN PARTNERSimportant to resist the temptation to

March 2018 Yachts & Yachting 71