Hi Patrick, I have been followingyour movies and learned so much. Really like the “defensive sailing attitude” and all the explanations and shared experiences. Please keep up with awesome“work”!! Cheers and fair winds!
We used to sail with a salty former Navy officer in San Diego. We asked one day about flying the big symmetrical spinnaker and he said, “ We’re all friends. Let’s keep it that way and not use the spinnaker.”
William J puts it so succinctly :-))). Run spinnakers all the time on a race boat BUT with crew so not a true comparison. For what it's worth, we usually launch the spin deeper (150 TWA +) to get it up within protected air behind the Main (and typically the jib as well on a race boat, then quickly drop the jib) - this way it hits full hoist without setting and we then load up the sheet to set. Tack would always be close to the centreline so that kite can't set to leeward. This (almost always !!) avoids partial inflation and wraps when air gets into the spin before it is at full hoist. Then sail up to desired TWA to power up and tweak with the tack line to get the desired rotation. Still an awesome job to get a sizeable asso up (and down!!!) single handed, so take nothing away. FWAFS, BB
I purposely come up higher Bill (120°) because once when I was launching deep, the top wrapped clockwise, and the bottom counter-clockwise. Nightmare. Fortunately, the wind wasn't blowing too hard. I always believed it was because I was too deep (and too slow raising the sock), so I started coming up a bit into the wind (with no real science behind that other than a desire to keep the sail away from the forestay!). The disadvantage to this is that the tack is really quite extended when I launch (because I launch so far away from the bowsprit). I'll give a try to your method. I really want to become more comfortable with this sail! Thanks for the comment.
Hi Patrick, another most enjoyable and informative video, thank you. You asked for thoughts about the handling of the asymmetric spinnaker. I frequently sail singlehanded (or with inexpert crew) so I’ve developed techniques through trial and (lots of) error. Based on that, I’ve found it helpful to hoist the spinnaker in its sock with the Genoa still set. The result is that the sock is blanketed until I’m completely ready to unfurl the spinnaker. When preparing to hoist I set the tack of the spinnaker really low before unfurling, so that the sheet is the main influence as the collar of the sock rises towards the masthead. Depending on the wind and sea at the time, I roll away the Genoa either just before or just after unfurling the spinnaker. Then I adjust the tack for the conditions - the further aft the wind the longer the tack line. When taking down the spinnaker I first unroll the Genoa to blanket the wind and take the weight out of the spinnaker, which makes it easier to pull down the sock. My personal rules of thumb when singlehanded are (like you) not to carry the spinnaker at night; and to take it down in true wind speeds over 15 knots ... which in effect means that whatever the wind angle I’m aiming never to carry that sail in apparent winds over 12 knots. Also like you, I find harnesses more a trip hazard than a help on the foredeck! So I’m not always clipped on, but I wear a lifejacket with a hook and harness incorporated ... and my PLB is on a lanyard around my neck at all times, tucked into my jacket. No such thing as zero risk ... it’s all about mitigation. Anyhow, happy sailing .... thank you for sharing your adventures. Roy
Great suggestions Roy. I know the regatta guys often launch behind the genny like you describe. I'll give it a try. I too have a PLB on my life vest at all times (and I wear that life best any time I leave the boundaries of the marina). Many thanks again.
Absolutely! Don't make the mistake of furling the foresail before hoisting and deploying the spi. Keep your genoa fully out and sheeted flat, or furled halfway but still flat if in lighter wind. In addition to the advantages listed by Roy, a deployed & flattened foresail prevents the spi from accidentally rolling around the forestay. When hoisting the sock, I actually bring in the tackline as much as I can, and same with the sheet. This way the spi starts to fill sooner and it makes hoisting the sock easier. When it's time to dropping the sock, I roll out some headsail first and sheet it flat then I release the tackline until the spi starts to flag, then I bring the sheet in board, secure it there and then pull down the sock. When jibing, try flagging it out (forward of the forestay) it looks scary, but it's actually a lot easier than hoisting the sock down then up. How much TW is too much for the spi depends on the material and how it is made. I can use mine up to 25 knts max. PS: I actually never had the same weather from start to finish everytime I crossed the bay. Always had a bit of rough patch either at the start, or in the middle, or at the finish. But never smooth all the way across. You must be blessed for getting those steady conditions.
Great comment Fesh Fesh. Not sure I need the genny out to lunch the spi. This is not where the real difficulty is. Indeed, on my sail, there is a tendancy for the sail to bunch up a little inside the sock, and it is helpful when I first begin to hoist the sock to grab the bottom of the sail and tug down a bit. (Having the genny out would not permit this.) On the other hand, I think your suggestion to unfurl the genny to recover the spi is a great idea. I'm going to try this the next time out. Many thanks.
@@patricklaine6958 before hoisting the sock, trim in both the tackline and the sheet to bring the tack closer to the bowsprit and the clew futher aft. That will stretch the foot of the spi fore and aft and force the bunched up spi out of the sock.
I think I do that now Fesh Fesh, but I'll try to do it more 'energetically' the next time out. As soon as I hoist the sock, I'll give another tug on the sheet and tack line before pulling the up-haul. Good tip.
Great to watch you sailing as ever Patrick. We enjoy flying spinnakers but there biggest drawback is that they demand constant attention. A long sail for us is one that lasts 7-8 hrs and so we can cope with that but if, like you, we were spending days or weeks at see then I think we would just pole out the genoa instead :-) as you rightly say when things go wrong with a spinnaker things can quickly escalate so they do demand some respect. Have fun
Someone else also suggested your video --- which I am sure I have already watched, but can't watch it here due to terrible wifi reception in the marina. You regatta guys are masters at this kind of thing. You make it seem so simple --- a symphony in motion. I always breathe a big sigh of relief when it's back in the turtle. ;-) I'll keep working at it though.
I love your way of explaining everything you're planning to do and then demonstrating it. It helps a lot to learn your sails handling techniques. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Patrick - in re spinnaker handling, what you might find helpful is getting a wichard quick release for your tack. It might help ease your comfort level at having it hoisted as the true wind picks up so you're not constantly trying to work that narrow 8 knot range of "do I bother putting it up & i better take it down". If all goes to hell and you're struggling with your sock - just blow the tack line., and it might be counterintuitive, but if you're concerned about bringing it down - head deeper downwind & blanket it with your main.
I actually have a quick release on the tack Shinybaldy, but I have a bowsprit and can not reach it when the sail is deployed. I usually release the sheet and tie a big granny knot in the end and toss it out in the water. It provides enough drag to keep a bit of tension in the sail and then with a bit of playing with the heading (as you suggest), I can pull down the sock. I think I would enjoy using this sail more if I used it in higher winds…...but can't bring myself to do that (yet). Maybe with a furling system……
Oh I see! I promise I'm not a hardware salesman - take a look at Tylaska T shackles (T12 would be about right for your boat). They can be easily fitted with a plug fid that you can fit into the trigger hole - you keep the fid tied off to a lanyard from where you can access it - and when you want to, pull on the lanyard and the shackle releases! Also lets you keep your head nice and low in case you're worried about getting smacked in the head while trying to get your spinnaker under control.
Patrick, thanks for all your great videos, I am considering buying a boat to sail on my own and assumed it would need to be no bigger than 36ft. Your sailing a 40ft with relative ease. Did you choose your boat with solo sailing in mind or did you prefer the faster hull speed and having more space?
I wanted a boat of size that wouldn't get bounced around too much in heavy weather, yet be small enough to handle alone in marinas. 40 seemed about the right number to me, and I don't regret that decision. :-)
dancing NO sailing yes ,, great video Patrick and yes the life line in slack wing with a spinnaker I would untether also ,,,,, Again great video Mate Rob NSW Australia
You set off from Viviero when you went to the Azores... do you have a preference over La Coruna? If so, why?... I’m planning a similar passage to the Azores and I would greatly value your thinking on this. Only if you have time though. Best wishes, Tim
Nice docking in France. Well done! The French dude on the adjacent yacht looked a little panicked, maybe the bow thruster woke him up? When he realised you had done it perfectly a hearty 'Bonjour' and he realised he wasn't having a muppet or a WAFI as a new neighbour.
Hello Patrick, Great video as usual, and one that us normal sailors can relate to! In order to feel more comfortable with our asymetric we took an afternoon coaching session. Also of great help for me is the video #2 by Stan Thuret on TH-cam. We had an asymetric with a sock and found it a hassle, so we now fly the gennaker from a furler and the asymetric from the bag. From what I see on your video, you only need to practise more often to get over the psychological hurdle :). Keep posting for us! Bruce
I twice scheduled spinnaker training with a local pro six months ago, but we cancelled on both occasions due to too much wind, and then not enough. I really should follow up again. Nothing builds confidence faster than a bit of training with a pro. I"ll check out the Thuret video. Have not heard of that one before. Thanks
Hi again, I do have a gennaker sock but I think I'll go back to basics and I won't use it anymore (unless you have to change course often, such in a regatta) and I'll just hoist it from its sack, ready and tied to the deck, with the lines attached. Just hoist the halyard from the cockpit and then sheet in the lines.very simple. When it's time to drop it , I have a thin line from the cockpit to the shackle on the tack, pull that to open the quick relase shackle , sheet in the line and lower the halyard in the cockpit. NO NEED TO GO MANEUVERING ON DECK if the weather has got worse. 5 minutes to put it back in the sack, leaving the corners out ready for a new deployment. Fair winds!
Great comment Luca. I agree with much of what you have said. As you suggest, the value of the sock is not in putting the sail up. It's value is in lowering the sail very simply. I hear what you say about your technique for lowering. I have tried that method on another boat (as well as the 'letterbox method' under the mainsail) but didn't find those methods quite as simple as they sound…….. For the future, I think I will eventually invest in one of the furling systems that now exist for these kinds of sails. Going to the foredeck is both dangerous and difficult for an old guy like me. :-)
I think you are right Abdulla. I'd get a lot more benefit from a sail that I can use for close reaching in light winds. I just don't get a huge benefit from broad reaching with my asymetric spinnaker. A Code Zero would probably be a better sail for me.
@@patricklaine6958 you can sail with an asymmetrical Spinnaker in lighter airs if you use a whisker pole and Genoa on a tri sail close reach. Get them all working!
As someone else suggested Kleman, the only way to get comfortable, is to use it often. I really should throw it out much more often. Thanks for commenting.
Patrick I pressed the like button on the video as you danced to the light of day. Your videos are awesome, keep making them, they are always a joy to watch. 😎
I loved that dance, but do not give up the sailing ;-) I was very interested in your spinnaker and it was a pity that a lot of the action was shielded behind the mainsail as we have no spinnaker at present and it is something that we are keen to learn more about, especially since your boat is so similar to ours. Keep up the passages - you are a great explainer and we learn so much from you. [Edit: - I forgot to ask, what is the "turtle" that you left the velcro on?]
Thanks again ladies. The turtle is simply the bag the spinnaker is stowed in. It is such a big, light sail that they attach velcro to keep the tack, clew and head of the sail from getting tangled in the bag. One must make a note to oneself to remove said velcro before hoisting. :-) (I won't give up my day job for dancing…..yet.)
Hi Patrick, love your videos. Keep them coming. I have a question about your Efoy. How much methanol do you use? Did I hear you say you would have gotten the 210 if you had your time back? Do you still recommend it? Thanks Patrick Long may your big Jib draw
Thanks Craig. It is always a difficult question to answer, 'How much methanol do you use?' The reason is that if the wind dies on you and you fire up the engine for 2 hours to motorsail, the Efoy will stay in standby mode for another 18 hours. This year I sailed completely around the UK (Shetland Islands to Faroe Islands and back to France) and only used one 5 liter bottle of methanol in a 77 day voyage. (I carried 5 bottles with me to be safe.) Last year in my 2500 NM trip to and from the Azores, I only used 2.5 bottles. I love the Efoy, but would definitely choose the larger model (Comfort 210) if I had to do it again. In very rough weather, at night, with autopilot working hard, lights on, fridge on, etc., the Efoy wouldn't really bring the batteries back to full charge (but did hold them at a nice safe level indefinitely). In relatively calm weather, during the daylight hours, my Efoy does fully recharge the batteries. I'd feel much more confident with the larger model though. Fair winds.
Hi Patrick, crossed the Biscay this past June and it was really ugly. First, we were in a 30 ft boat, light displacement, tiller, no autopilot, rough seas 3 to 4 meter cross swell, fog for most part of the trip, only AIS receiver and no radar... it was a hell of a trip, but we made it safely to La Coruña. In your case, seems you had a pleasant time doing it. One of this days would like to sail with you in one of these passages... I know you're always sail alone, but if you consider, just let me know. Fair winds
I just returned this morning from A Coruna (Cedeira was actually my departure point to return.) It was like the trip you describe. I tacked an extra 120 miles becasue the wind was on the nose. I would have used the engine, but the 2 meter waves were coming directly at us, so it was better to sail. Very painful. Oof. Not one of my most fun passages. Thanks for commenting.
If you're gonna get a top down furler. do this .... first connect the halyard to your bowsprit (or where you want to attach your new furller) . Go back to the halyard cleat or clutch tighten and mark the spinnacker halyard (marker pen) there. Back at the bowsprit unclip your spinnacker halyard fix a line to it and hoist this up to your sheave...tie the line off tight to a cleat. Back at the cleat/clutch tighten the halyard and mark it again. Now measure between the marks and you have the length of the top down torque line you want....maybe take a few inches off for tightening and stretch. Don't put all your faith in this method Patrick cos I've just invented it (that's the small print). It's a marine thing...so it's expensive I expect.
I think that is just a great idea. Really. I'm attending a boat show in two weeks and I'll meet with the top down furling guys and see what the process is. This should be interesting. :-)
Learned a lot on your A-sail deployment. I had a sock on my last boat. Now I have a top down furler. Much easier. Is that in InReach tucked in you furled Bimini?
I'll be seriously looking at a top-down furler at a boat show in my home port at the end of September Good Ending. As you can see, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the current version I have --- doable, but uncomfortable. Yes, that is a Garmin InReach hanging from the bimini frame. I discuss its use in a couple of earlier episodes. Thanks for watching.
These sails work great to keep the boat moving when you have little wind. It's more fun than motoring... You may want something like the ATN Spinnaker Tacker that will increase performance. Tack can move higher with little movement aft. This can open the luff to more air and fun. Check out the video linked on the atninc.com website. Roller balls also work and it maybe something you could make. Quick release is something you will want. You can blow the tack and the sail goes behind the main. Then it is easy to pull down the sock. It's easy to leave it up too long. We take ours down when the wind approaches 15 knots apparent. That could be 25+ true on our boat.
I watched a couple of videos on the ATN Tacker Douglas. Interesting ---- but I have a bow sprit that keeps the tack pretty far out in front of the genny --- I don't really see an advantage to the Tacker over my current set-up. That said, they did seem to be able to gybe very easily with little fuss (much more so than on my boat). I'll give it some more thought and review. Thanks for the suggestion.
Some thoughts about spinnakers: As a solo sailor I have not flown one. As part of a crew, I’ve flown many. Both flat cuts and radials. Like you, I feel the spinnaker is only seldom useful for solo cruising …maybe used as a more full-cut drifter. Having only ever set one from the turtle with the tack on a pole or at the bow, I’m uncomfortable with seeing the tack flying free, level with the clew. But, with a crew we retrieved the sail from under the boom and stowed it down the companionway until the housecleaning was finished. So, I can understand the usefulness of the sock while solo sailing. Would it make the set faster to the sheets to have the sock up/downhaul lines lead to the mast base then to the cockpit?
Hi Patrick. When I solo sail with my gennicker I leave the main down. I get about the same SOG but can get the best out of the asymmetric. I drop it when true wind get to 18kts
I'll give that a try Craig. I am already so conservative with the use of the asy spinnaker, that it's performance plus is questionable. If I drop the main on top of that, I might come to the conclusion never to use it. :-)
Oops, that bottom up comment was me too. The damned technology blabbed one of my secret identities. I prefer this one for sailing stuff....Ratus matches my true character better. So while I was discovering that bottom up (I won't mention such ribaldry again!) left the furled Gennie so loose from halfway up that the top half would set up there...my erstwhile crew and I also found that it wasn't a great idea to unintentionally gibe while flying nor try to throw in a tack. We managed to catch a beautiful Gennacker on a spreader doing that....nick it one inch in from the leach and watch in horror as the nick ran the whole length down. we got a very long one inch ribbon. Luckily it was an easy fix. just a new hem. We got a bollocking though. So in the end we furled unfurled when going through the wind and got pretty fast at that.
Hi Patric, I recommend investing in a Selden spinnaker furler. Fairly reasonably priced and makes single handing a breeze. You will end up using your spinnaker way more and can stow it safely in higher wind conditions as long as you blanket it properly with the main. Fair winds!
Hi Patrick, Great Videos; have a question; I can see your garmin Inreach placed on the bimini ... is there not enough signal inside the boat for proper position reporting? Thanks Ted
Someone else made the same comment s51ta. They keep their InReach inside the boat. I tried, but members of my family lost tracking ---- but that may have been due to operator error. :-) I'll try again from the salon and see how it works. (The advice to backpackers in the instructions was to hang it outside their backpacks.)
Hi Patrick: link for pic of how the Tylaska pull to release fid would work if you were interested in insurance/extra margin of error. i1.wp.com/www.sky-international.com/wp-content/uploads/Plug-fids_release.jpg?fit=896%2C682
Previous docking technique I saw, they were dropping anchor as they got straight to slip approach, halting boat, with this method , with enough line to put them a couple meters away from dock then letting out chain to finish landing, seems safer. Comments anyone?
Using the anchor to moor is called 'Mediterranean Mooring'. The problem with it is that you are then absolutely committed to mooring, and the long length of chain/rope becomes a potential hazard for others, and when boats moor side by side, the lines often get crossed.
;-) I didn't do that on purpose Erik. My daughter made me a playlist of about 80 songs on Spotify, and Homeward Bound just came up randomly when I had the camera on! Perfect timing. It isn't such a long trip this time anyway, as I intend to head back across the Bay of Biscay in about a week so as to arrive in La Rochelle in time for our big annual boat show.
I agree: spinnaker sails are challenging, if not difficult. The set up is important. Also , is it possible to place the camera closer to the bow ? Thanks Patrick.
Thanks NY 1970. The next time I shoot the spinnaker, I'll be much more particular about camera angles, and show how it is hooked up. (I'm going to try to launch it from the cockpit. That should be entertaining if nothing else.)
I haven't figured out how to use the lifeline and launch/retrieve the spinnaker at the same time James. The spinnaker requires a LOT of mobility, and split second responses or things can go terribly wrong. The alternative is to buy a furling spinnaker that can be launched from the safety of the cockpit. That may be coming soon. Thanks for commenting.
It's a gennacker. Isn't it? Suggestion is tto get a top down furler...not bottom up I used one and it was a it was awful...tight furl @ bottom so loose @ top it would set in a gust. Good to see you back and with The Wedding behind you.
Yes Ellul, you are right --- gennaker=asymmetric spinnaker --- but there are so many names for the darn things (and I have a whole other vocabulary for them in French too.) The model I looked at last year was top down --- with some kind of special carbon material furler cord to take the torsion. I'll check them out again to see what is new at a major boat show at the end of September. Thanks for the warning on bottom up.
You might look into purchasing a top down spinnaker furler. I see a bunch of other sailing channels use a sailmaker named Precision Sails for quality and price
Hi Patrick. I have an identical assymetrical spinnaker setup that I occasionally singlehand. I do more or less the same as you do with a couple of minor differences. - After I hoist the sail but before raising the sock I go back to the cockpit and tighten the tack line, then back to the bow to raise the sock. This is actually quite important. If the wind goes forward or a gust hits the sail while it's bagging out to the side like that it will knock the boat down right when you're walking around, not great. If the tack line is tight and the sheets are eased then the sail will simply luff until you're ready to sheet it home. Much like a jib would do. - I put a bit more tension into the tack line than you seem to. If you look at the luff of the sail in the video you'll see that the whole sail is getting blown to leeward. That's not ideal, particularly if you're close to the wind, say trying to beam reach. You're getting more heel and less drive out of the sail than you could and you can't point as high or as deep as you could. Sag in the luff is inevitable, even desirable sometimes but not too much. Play with it, see if it makes a difference to heel/speed. - The other problem with letting the tack blow around like that is chafe on the tack line. I don't know what kind of setup you have on your bow, I have a Selden removable sprit with a block on the end. I like to get the tack line all the way in so that the stopper ball is right to the block. This prevents chafe on the tack line. When sailing on long passages I've almost chafed through the tack line because I failed to do this. If necessary you might need to ease the halyard a bit to get the sail down there. Thanks for the terrific videos. I'd love to see a tiny bit more of what you do when you're in port.
Thanks A+19. I think that is really good advice. I'll try to pull the tack a bit tighter before launching. It actually was 'tight', but I'll pull a bit more material out of the sock (which will help my problem of the sail bunching up in the snuffer also). I too have a Selden bow sprit that extends out about a meter in front of the bow. That makes getting the tack tight before deployment a bit more difficult, but I agree with you --- less slack is better.
Bravo. Very well-spotted dangre. I must admit that a couple of months ago when I was in the Irish Sea, homeward bound had very special meaning and intensity to me. ;-) Thanks for watching.
Get a Code 0 on a furler. Almost as good as an Assymetrical and much easier to deploy and furl. I use the Code 0 singlehanded and the spinnaker in a sock doublehanded.
I almost bought one last year boat7381, but decided to go with the asymetric one more season. I really like the Code 0 idea though as you can sail much higher into the wind with it as well. Maybe Santa will read this. ;-)
Loving your videos! Just had a good binge on your tour of Britain... Spinnaker: Personally I'd hoist the sock, THEN the tack in, THEN raise the sock. It should fly immediately, possibly also raising the sock automatically. Grinding the tack in when flying is very hard in a blow...
Good suggestion. I'll give some thought to that. My bow sprit sticks out about 1.5 meters off the bow. To bring the tack in before launch would cause a fairly large 'banana' in the sock (and risk bunching inside the sock as I try to hoist it), and also bring the sock closer to the forestay (where it could wind around it during those few extra seconds of delay before hoisting). Nonetheless, I do find the idea appealing -- so may try it, or at least partially pulling in the tack a bit more before pulling the sock off. Thanks for suggesting this for consideration.
If you have the tack in, so the luff is tight, no way is it going to wrap. Also the sock will be continually blown away from the forestay. All you've got to do then is trim the sheet! Richard.
Hmmmm… I'll have to give some thought to that. I tie the halyard off at the mast so I can raise and retrieve the sock from the foredeck (the tail of the halyard does run to the cockpit, but that does no good if it is tied off on the mast). As I said, I can always pop the sheet from the cockpit if things get out of hand. Will need to think of this some more --- but there may be no ideal solution. Good, thought-provoking comment.
A spinnaker pole to hold out the clew in light winds can be helpful ----- but is not at all mandatory --- and complicates maneuvers like gybing. It can also be used on the genoa for the same purpose --- again, nice to have, but not mandatory. Good question Robert.
i remember reading somewhere that if you don’t want the spinaker to get tangled in the forestay, you just have to unfurl the genoa..haven’t tried it yet but i will
Yes Boris. A lot of people do that (hoist shielded by the genoa). I'm going to try that, as well as hoisting from the cockpit in the near future. I'll film it if possible. Thanks for commenting.
I don't think I've covered the autopilot Safari. It is a Lewmar model (I forget the number) which is controlled by a Raymarine ST6002 controller in the cockppit. The amount of gears and levers and pumps under the deck to make the autopilot work is amazing…...
PL, thanks for sharing, one suggestion, some of your captions are a little short on time, please leave them up for a few seconds longer, at least for me, ha!
An enjoyable passage Patrick. I notice the fingers in the Spanish harbor were quite short. Surprising. Plus, it appeared that all vessels were bow first into the slips. Is this typical of a Spanish harbor or that region? You do make good use of your vessel!
Welcome back Bill. People moor stern first in the Med because there are no fingers, so they need to drop the anchor to keep the bow in place. In places where there are fingers on the pontoon, the vast majority of people moor bow first -- the exception being some people with swim platforms find it easier to get on and of the boat from the stern than stepping up tot he gunnel on the side. In my home port on the Atlantic (with fingers), I would guess that about 90% of the boats are in bow first. And you are right, those fingers in that Spanish Harbour are quite short --- but that is true in many French ports as well (unfortunately). That actually forces me (as a solo sailor) to moor differently than I would if the finger were longer and I could use a spring line on the first cleat (not possible on a short finger). Fair winds to you.
@@patricklaine6958 Thanks! That makes perfect sense now that you illustrate it. I'll be sailing out of Dubrovnik in May the first time in a number of years that we last did that. Now living in Italy for a few years.
I really need to figure out how to get comfortable with this. As you say, for now it is more 'pain' than enjoyment, but my confidence is slowing improving.
Patrick welcome back. We missed you! Hope wedding went well and that you gave a great speech? One question: how do you raise main single handed? Do you use autopilot into wind and winch from cockpit? I am trying to figure out the best way. I often sweat from the mast as it’s so much quicker to avoid the lazy jacks. But I never single hand. Yet. Have similar sized boat. Best, T
Wedding was wonderful. All went well except the part where some guy took away my little girl. To raise the main I 1) point into the wind, 2) engage the autopilot (with prop at fast idle -- 1300-1400 RPM) 3) take the main sheet off the winch so that the boom can swing freely with wind gusts, 4) pull the main 3/4 of the way up from the cockpit by hand, then put 3-4 turns on the winch and crank it all the way up. I then 5) immediately run to the main sheet winch and lock it tight to keep the boom in the center. Then 6) off autopilot and turn toward desired heading (with boom centered). At my leisure, I then ease the main sheet to let the boom out. I catch my breath by cleaning up the halyard (8"s around the winch), and then turn my attention to the genoa furler. Everything is done from the cockpit. Works well on my boat anyway.
Hello jr. Almost every season I head down your way, but I find Port Medoc a bit easier for a solo sailor, as the docking situation at Royan can be a bit of circus at times. I'm sure I'll make a port call in the region sometime soon.
Hi Patrick, I know I'm way behind but re watching your excellent videos mainly because we are considering crossing Biscay. Rather than following your route. I would like to coastal hope and wondered if there are any stop over ports along the coast from your homeport to the Spanish Coast. Looking forward to watching your new adventures
Going south on the French coast below La Rochelle is not a great idea. The next feasible stop (below La Rochelle) is Port Medoc, or its twin just across the Gironde river, Royan. However getting there requires going up the river for about 2 hours. Further south --- stay away from Arcachon --- it is really for locals only, and can be dangerous with shifting sand bars, shallow water and dangerous surf. Instead, you can go to the corner of Spain and France and stop in Hendaye. However, the wind along that Southern coast of France/Spain is often very weak. I prefer leaving La Rochelle and going across Biscay to Gijon (midway along the Spanish coast), which is a lively city. Going west from Gijon, there are numerous scenic bays and marinas every 30 miles or so.
@@patricklaine6958 Thank you for spending your time to reply. I found the information was really helpful its always very helpful to gain information from those who's sail the local areas. I will certainly take your advice. Much appreciated 👍
Well done Patrick! I agree about the lifelines, sometimes they'll the cause of a bigger problem. With not too rough weather you're more than forgiven. Enjoy your beer. You deserve it. Cheers 🍺
I'm going to test a method to launch the spinnaker from the cockpit. If it works, that could be very interesting (and much safer)…… Thanks for watching Carlos
@@patricklaine6958 yes, I prepared the snuffer line for that too. But in reality one wants to be in front of the mast to see how everything goes. I sewed my sock myself. With ripstop nylon and sailcloth. Extremely satisfying to see it work. Looking forward to see your solution. All the best, Carlos
Always tether when single-handing, in the cockpit or open deck. The tether should be short enough to allow you to perhaps touch the water with your feet but never into the water altogether. As you say, it is near impossible to pull yourself back aboard once you're all the way in. The solution certainly isn't to simply abandon the tether, but to shorten it. With the tether fully extended, your shoulders should be roughly even with the gunwales. Inconvenient? Certainly. But decidedly less inconvenient than watching your boat sail away. As to your asym-spinnaker let me say use it at every opportunity. Make it second nature. If you're going to carry it and use it at all then master it. With your intelligence, it will become completely familiar very quickly. I saw your dancing. You're a braver man than I, putting that on vid. Bravo. Fair seas my friend.
I agree with all except the part about the dancing. There is a hit TV show in the UK called 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I'm sending in my application. :-)
I served as a fighter pilot for about 10 years in the US and French Navies flying the A7E Corsair II with the US Navy and the Super Etendard of Exocet fame with the French Navy. Great fun, and nothing like landing on a carrier to focus one's attention. :-) Thanks for watching CRS.
Fantastic! Again, thank you for your service! You graduated to a much prettier airplane in the Super Etendard, in my opinion.. :) Were you active US Navy but flying for France or retired US Navy. My brother flew the P-3 Orion (USN) in the 90s. Thanks for posting and sharing your knowledge and experiences! Greetings from NYC!
Your Videos are great, eventhough your sailing is much better then your dancing ;-) Thank you for the lovely coolness in which you perform your actions on board. Safe Sailings!
I'm just catching up on your videos. Great stuff and enjoyable. On the spinnaker instead of bringing a line from the tack back to a winch, put a short strop from the tack to an eye at the bow. Just attach the strop with a quick release snatch shackle, which keeps the tack of the sail in place (you never need to adjust the tack as you're not using a pole). On Gybing , run the lazy sheet around the outside of the forestay. To gybe let the clew go forward of the forestay, then pull in the lazy sheet on the new tack ( ie the sail passes ahead of the boat)
Thanks. Yes, I've tried both methods of gybing (inside and outside). My concern is that the sock frame will somehow wind around the stay the wrong way, and then I'm in big trouble ----- even more so now that I have added an inner forestay. I need to be VERY conservative as a solo sailor ---- so think I'll keep dropping the sock before each gybe.... Thanks for the good suggestion anyway.
@@patricklaine6958 ah ok. On racing boats the spinnaker is outside and above the forestay so no fear of wrapping. Ever think of a code 0 instead. Great cruising sail and stick on a furler free flying (no forestay) is easy to manage single handed.
Patrick, thanks for all your great videos and for sharing your knowledge. Would it be an option for a less experienced sailor like myself to follow the coast around rather than going straight across the Bay? Obviously, it would take a great deal longer but to not lose sight of land would be my preferred option.
That is a difficult question Richard……...those waters around Arcachon can be absolutely treacherous, and you can get boxed in the corner of the Bay further South……..with winds being very difficult to negotiate with from the corner out to A Coruna. My advice, worth exactly what you paid for it, but if I were nervous about the crossing, I'd choose a modest crossing (La Rochelle to Gijon), with a perfect weather window, rather than descending all the way down the coast. La Rochelle to Gijon is a confidence builder passage that is not too hard……..hundreds of boats do it every year.
hi patrick- have you ever seen how an asym or code0 performance set up is rigged? it's how i rig my asym to gybe easily singlehand. take that slack spinnaker sheet and run it up and around the forestay. to gybe you let the loaded sheet fly. this will blow the clew forward of the bow. since the sheet you are moving to is in front of the forestay, all you have to do is trim it in and the asym will gybe around forward of the forestay. a neat trick is to tape a batten or dowel to your sprit, angled slightly upwards, this will eliminate any chance of the fore-run sheet going under the boat. check out some bow shots of the Volvo boats, and watch them gybe their code0's. it works great for a singlehander. i rig my asym sheets with quick release shackles. i step out of the cockpit, pull the pin and fly the clew forward. then i go to the new winch and trim. safe and easy. instead of totally de-rigging when i go back to the genoa, i just douse with the sock, cleat it off and leave the sock up ready for quick deployment.
Great comment. I actually do rig the asym fully (with the lazy sheet forward of the genny). I just don't gybe because I am concerned the sock (bunched up at the top of the halyard) will get twisted up in the forestay, and I just can't take the chance of having to go up the mast when solo to try to untangle things. Also, once when I was abouut to drop the asym, I was a little slow and the top of the sail wrapped around the forestay clockwise, and the bottom of the sail counterclockwise. An hour of struggle ensued. Fortunately in light winds/seas. When I drop the asym, I first tie a big knot in the end of the sheet, and then throw it overboard to create drag on clew. It works well, except when the winds are very light and the sail can drift around. I will do as you suggest and watch some more videos to see how others do it. Thanks for commenting.
Patrick Laine wow- brilliant, dragging the line is a great idea! i'm going to try that this weekend. i was very happy when i got my ATN sock and tacker, but i recently delivered a new boat that had a quiver of sails on top-down furlers.......what a luxury!!!! open the bag, hoist with a halyard, run the furling line back and presto- downwind bliss.
Hi Having sailed to France some time ago reaching RYA coastal skipper standard I appreciate your committmnet to safe sailing and I have followed most of your great videos. I notice that you do not always use your harness, is this wise considering the possibility that you may fall overboard.
The problem with tightening the tack on my boat is that the sail is attached to a bow sprit. If I pull it tight before launching, I'll have 3.5-4 meters of sail in the wind before I even begin to hoist. In later episodes I show a method that I have now used about 60 times with the asymmetric spinnaker with pretty good success. I put one turn on the winch with the sheet and bring it forward with me when I hoist the sock. I pull on the sheet 3-4 times as I hoist the sock. It works quite nicely. I show this technique in later episodes several times.
It's blocked by some other hardware, but I'll find an easy solution. I really want to try to launch from the cockpit without all of that running around. I do worry that the sock will take too much of a banana shape once hoisted --- and the material will remain bunched up within at launch but I am definitely going to try this method. Thanks for the tip.
The previous owner of my boat often sailed shorthanded and had a roller furling block added to the Gennaker, with a closed loop led back to the cockpit. I don't have a Genoa like you, only a standard Jib, and so the Gennaker fills the gap between 7 & 14kts True wind. It's not perfect. One in five times, the thin material nips back on itself during the furling process, and jams. Locking it from furling in or out. It's a sail I use in calm seas, good visibility and consistent wind. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Johnny. I have had the top of that sail wrapped clockwise around the stay, and the bottom wrapped counter clockwise. I thought I would never get it down, and afterward I swore, 'Never Again!" (but went out the next week and tried it again. :-) There is a major boat show in my home town in two weeks. I'm going to check out the furling spinnakers. I understand there are some fairly good ones now at reasonable prices.
That's exactly what happens with mine. Due to the slight arc in the leading edge, the top and bottom roll tighter, leaving some sag in the middle. It's the middle that has a tendency to nip in behind and lock. I've learned to stop furling, walk forward, and try to pull the loose mid section down. That's the only way I've found to encourage the nipped material free. Then it's a case of letting the sail out, and starting again. If possible add a quarter turn on the winch to take any sag out of the forestay. Have fun at the boat show. I'm looking forward to the Dusseldorf show in January.
I always enjoy your videos, I have a split reacher made from spinnaker cloth on my boat the luff is in the middle of the sail like a butterfly, no hanks a torque rope is sewn into the luff, and a Profur Nex 5 flying sail Furler has better control than my sock and spinnaker. I can spread the sail wing on the wing or let the windward half of the sail overlap the other half by bringing the lazy sheet, as there are two sheets per side. This setup means you don't need to tender the sail or experience a rap, and it takes the risk out of tacking. Plus, you can reduce the size of the sail. The sail area is the same as a spinnaker, and you can reduce it in half by dropping the windward sheet and pulling on the spare lazy sheet on the leeward side. One other thing because you're not trying to sail the boat under a flying spinnaker the boat is pulled by the nose of the boat if you like. I find I can catch and pass boats with flying spinnakers. As the boat is more stable under sail and I can tack as I like. Love your videos keep up the good work SV Skoiern IV
Wow, that is a really unique set-up you have. I don't think I have ever seen one rigged like that. I was tempted to buy an ISTEC Parasailor because a friend has one and loves it (self-corrects in a gust). Did you buy yours from a company, or make it yourself from a design? Sounds interesting!
@@patricklaine6958 Hi Patrick Elvstrom sails and Norths make them, here is a link mine are built from spinner cloth. in France a long time ago for the BOC race. th-cam.com/video/Ip5oW4TZz4Q/w-d-xo.html
It's been a long few month's. Good to see you back out on the open ocean and sailing, whilst imparting practical single handed sailing techniques. Many thanks and fair winds sir.
I think that is clearly a preferred method if you don't have a sock, but with a sock, I think the shielding is less necessary. The real beauty of the sock comes into play when bringing the sail down (not so much when putting it up). Bringing down a spinnaker without a sock is probably something I would not do as a solo sailor (though many do). Just too much sail, and too many things that can go wrong. Someone else suggested I launch and retrieve with the sock behind the unfurled genoa as you suggest. I may give it a try to see how it works.
Interesting. I currently don't use a sock, but have been given one by a chap who said he never used it. I need to sit with my sailmaker over a cup of coffee and get him to modify it for my sail. Regards Sandy
“Dancing across the light of day” and cerveza! Maybe I should reconsider this long distance sailing thing 🤔 😁 another great one! bisous papa!
The embarrassed daughter. :-)
Lyrics from the song "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.
Patrick Laine obviously
You sail better than you dance, but you still dance better than me.. :-)
Hi Patrick,
I have been followingyour movies and learned so much. Really like the “defensive sailing attitude” and all the explanations and shared experiences.
Please keep up with awesome“work”!!
Cheers and fair winds!
Thanks for the great feedback 1Zemp. Much appreciated.
If you ever come to Lisbon give me a call. Love to buy you a beer and share some sailing adventures!
We used to sail with a salty former Navy officer in San Diego. We asked one day about flying the big symmetrical spinnaker and he said, “ We’re all friends. Let’s keep it that way and not use the spinnaker.”
Great story. With his wisdom, I'll bet he was an admiral. :-)
I would second that.
Welcome back, missed you. Thumbs up even before watching :)
Far too kind S Jay. Many thanks.
welcome back Sir , good to see you again. Not sure about the dancing =)
I only do it when I am alone and 500 miles from the nearest person. :-)
William J puts it so succinctly :-))).
Run spinnakers all the time on a race boat BUT with crew so not a true comparison. For what it's worth, we usually launch the spin deeper (150 TWA +) to get it up within protected air behind the Main (and typically the jib as well on a race boat, then quickly drop the jib) - this way it hits full hoist without setting and we then load up the sheet to set. Tack would always be close to the centreline so that kite can't set to leeward. This (almost always !!) avoids partial inflation and wraps when air gets into the spin before it is at full hoist. Then sail up to desired TWA to power up and tweak with the tack line to get the desired rotation.
Still an awesome job to get a sizeable asso up (and down!!!) single handed, so take nothing away.
FWAFS,
BB
I purposely come up higher Bill (120°) because once when I was launching deep, the top wrapped clockwise, and the bottom counter-clockwise. Nightmare. Fortunately, the wind wasn't blowing too hard. I always believed it was because I was too deep (and too slow raising the sock), so I started coming up a bit into the wind (with no real science behind that other than a desire to keep the sail away from the forestay!). The disadvantage to this is that the tack is really quite extended when I launch (because I launch so far away from the bowsprit). I'll give a try to your method. I really want to become more comfortable with this sail! Thanks for the comment.
Patrick Laine consider a furling asym for short handed or single handed sailing! Cheers
Hi Patrick, another most enjoyable and informative video, thank you. You asked for thoughts about the handling of the asymmetric spinnaker. I frequently sail singlehanded (or with inexpert crew) so I’ve developed techniques through trial and (lots of) error. Based on that, I’ve found it helpful to hoist the spinnaker in its sock with the Genoa still set. The result is that the sock is blanketed until I’m completely ready to unfurl the spinnaker. When preparing to hoist I set the tack of the spinnaker really low before unfurling, so that the sheet is the main influence as the collar of the sock rises towards the masthead. Depending on the wind and sea at the time, I roll away the Genoa either just before or just after unfurling the spinnaker. Then I adjust the tack for the conditions - the further aft the wind the longer the tack line. When taking down the spinnaker I first unroll the Genoa to blanket the wind and take the weight out of the spinnaker, which makes it easier to pull down the sock. My personal rules of thumb when singlehanded are (like you) not to carry the spinnaker at night; and to take it down in true wind speeds over 15 knots ... which in effect means that whatever the wind angle I’m aiming never to carry that sail in apparent winds over 12 knots. Also like you, I find harnesses more a trip hazard than a help on the foredeck! So I’m not always clipped on, but I wear a lifejacket with a hook and harness incorporated ... and my PLB is on a lanyard around my neck at all times, tucked into my jacket. No such thing as zero risk ... it’s all about mitigation. Anyhow, happy sailing .... thank you for sharing your adventures. Roy
Great suggestions Roy. I know the regatta guys often launch behind the genny like you describe. I'll give it a try. I too have a PLB on my life vest at all times (and I wear that life best any time I leave the boundaries of the marina). Many thanks again.
Absolutely! Don't make the mistake of furling the foresail before hoisting and deploying the spi.
Keep your genoa fully out and sheeted flat, or furled halfway but still flat if in lighter wind. In addition to the advantages listed by Roy, a deployed & flattened foresail prevents the spi from accidentally rolling around the forestay.
When hoisting the sock, I actually bring in the tackline as much as I can, and same with the sheet. This way the spi starts to fill sooner and it makes hoisting the sock easier.
When it's time to dropping the sock, I roll out some headsail first and sheet it flat then I release the tackline until the spi starts to flag, then I bring the sheet in board, secure it there and then pull down the sock.
When jibing, try flagging it out (forward of the forestay) it looks scary, but it's actually a lot easier than hoisting the sock down then up.
How much TW is too much for the spi depends on the material and how it is made. I can use mine up to 25 knts max.
PS: I actually never had the same weather from start to finish everytime I crossed the bay. Always had a bit of rough patch either at the start, or in the middle, or at the finish. But never smooth all the way across.
You must be blessed for getting those steady conditions.
Great comment Fesh Fesh. Not sure I need the genny out to lunch the spi. This is not where the real difficulty is. Indeed, on my sail, there is a tendancy for the sail to bunch up a little inside the sock, and it is helpful when I first begin to hoist the sock to grab the bottom of the sail and tug down a bit. (Having the genny out would not permit this.) On the other hand, I think your suggestion to unfurl the genny to recover the spi is a great idea. I'm going to try this the next time out. Many thanks.
@@patricklaine6958 before hoisting the sock, trim in both the tackline and the sheet to bring the tack closer to the bowsprit and the clew futher aft. That will stretch the foot of the spi fore and aft and force the bunched up spi out of the sock.
I think I do that now Fesh Fesh, but I'll try to do it more 'energetically' the next time out. As soon as I hoist the sock, I'll give another tug on the sheet and tack line before pulling the up-haul. Good tip.
Great to watch you sailing as ever Patrick. We enjoy flying spinnakers but there biggest drawback is that they demand constant attention. A long sail for us is one that lasts 7-8 hrs and so we can cope with that but if, like you, we were spending days or weeks at see then I think we would just pole out the genoa instead :-) as you rightly say when things go wrong with a spinnaker things can quickly escalate so they do demand some respect. Have fun
On the off chance it helps this is a film we made last year on flying a spinnaker single handed.
th-cam.com/video/Row2sQXDI-Q/w-d-xo.html
Someone else also suggested your video --- which I am sure I have already watched, but can't watch it here due to terrible wifi reception in the marina. You regatta guys are masters at this kind of thing. You make it seem so simple --- a symphony in motion. I always breathe a big sigh of relief when it's back in the turtle. ;-) I'll keep working at it though.
I love your way of explaining everything you're planning to do and then demonstrating it. It helps a lot to learn your sails handling techniques. Thanks for sharing.
Patrick, thank god you sail solo better than you dance 😉. Nice to have you back!
Say what you will. 4 mermaids have asked for my number.
Good to have you back Patrick but do not take up dancing full time. Stick to sailing. 😇
Thanks David. ;-)
Hi Patrick - in re spinnaker handling, what you might find helpful is getting a wichard quick release for your tack. It might help ease your comfort level at having it hoisted as the true wind picks up so you're not constantly trying to work that narrow 8 knot range of "do I bother putting it up & i better take it down".
If all goes to hell and you're struggling with your sock - just blow the tack line., and it might be counterintuitive, but if you're concerned about bringing it down - head deeper downwind & blanket it with your main.
I actually have a quick release on the tack Shinybaldy, but I have a bowsprit and can not reach it when the sail is deployed. I usually release the sheet and tie a big granny knot in the end and toss it out in the water. It provides enough drag to keep a bit of tension in the sail and then with a bit of playing with the heading (as you suggest), I can pull down the sock. I think I would enjoy using this sail more if I used it in higher winds…...but can't bring myself to do that (yet). Maybe with a furling system……
Oh I see! I promise I'm not a hardware salesman - take a look at Tylaska T shackles (T12 would be about right for your boat). They can be easily fitted with a plug fid that you can fit into the trigger hole - you keep the fid tied off to a lanyard from where you can access it - and when you want to, pull on the lanyard and the shackle releases! Also lets you keep your head nice and low in case you're worried about getting smacked in the head while trying to get your spinnaker under control.
Patrick, thanks for all your great videos, I am considering buying a boat to sail on my own and assumed it would need to be no bigger than 36ft. Your sailing a 40ft with relative ease. Did you choose your boat with solo sailing in mind or did you prefer the faster hull speed and having more space?
I wanted a boat of size that wouldn't get bounced around too much in heavy weather, yet be small enough to handle alone in marinas. 40 seemed about the right number to me, and I don't regret that decision. :-)
Good video. Simple, no frills sailing thanks for sharing. Sail Safe. Ant & Cid x
Very kind of you Ant & Sid. Much appreciated.
dancing NO sailing yes ,, great video Patrick and yes the life line in slack wing with a spinnaker I would untether also ,,,,,
Again great video Mate
Rob
NSW
Australia
Ah...please disregard previous comment. Personal choice indeed. Forgive churlish hammering. Bon chance and thanks for sharing so much.
You set off from Viviero when you went to the Azores... do you have a preference over La Coruna? If so, why?... I’m planning a similar passage to the Azores and I would greatly value your thinking on this. Only if you have time though. Best wishes, Tim
Nice docking in France. Well done! The French dude on the adjacent yacht looked a little panicked, maybe the bow thruster woke him up? When he realised you had done it perfectly a hearty 'Bonjour' and he realised he wasn't having a muppet or a WAFI
as a new neighbour.
Hello Patrick,
Great video as usual, and one that us normal sailors can relate to!
In order to feel more comfortable with our asymetric we took an afternoon coaching session. Also of great help for me is the video #2 by Stan Thuret on TH-cam.
We had an asymetric with a sock and found it a hassle, so we now fly the gennaker from a furler and the asymetric from the bag.
From what I see on your video, you only need to practise more often to get over the psychological hurdle :).
Keep posting for us!
Bruce
I twice scheduled spinnaker training with a local pro six months ago, but we cancelled on both occasions due to too much wind, and then not enough. I really should follow up again. Nothing builds confidence faster than a bit of training with a pro. I"ll check out the Thuret video. Have not heard of that one before. Thanks
Thank you for sharing Mr. Lane.
Hi again, I do have a gennaker sock but I think I'll go back to basics and I won't use it anymore (unless you have to change course often, such in a regatta) and I'll just hoist it from its sack, ready and tied to the deck, with the lines attached. Just hoist the halyard from the cockpit and then sheet in the lines.very simple. When it's time to drop it , I have a thin line from the cockpit to the shackle on the tack, pull that to open the quick relase shackle , sheet in the line and lower the halyard in the cockpit. NO NEED TO GO MANEUVERING ON DECK if the weather has got worse. 5 minutes to put it back in the sack, leaving the corners out ready for a new deployment. Fair winds!
Great comment Luca. I agree with much of what you have said. As you suggest, the value of the sock is not in putting the sail up. It's value is in lowering the sail very simply. I hear what you say about your technique for lowering. I have tried that method on another boat (as well as the 'letterbox method' under the mainsail) but didn't find those methods quite as simple as they sound…….. For the future, I think I will eventually invest in one of the furling systems that now exist for these kinds of sails. Going to the foredeck is both dangerous and difficult for an old guy like me. :-)
uhn.. did it yesterday.. the problem to solve when solo is lowering the halyard and retrieving simultaneously the line.
Well done Patrick, that's difficult Job but you made it easy.
If I can suggest some thing to you I will say go for Codezero sail instead of sppniker.
I think you are right Abdulla. I'd get a lot more benefit from a sail that I can use for close reaching in light winds. I just don't get a huge benefit from broad reaching with my asymetric spinnaker. A Code Zero would probably be a better sail for me.
The ones I have tried is also super fast to furl in-out, so way less stressful in shifting conditions.
@@ThoughT73 Pravo ptofte that's what I meant, it's easy for hoisting very appropriate for solo sailing.
@@patricklaine6958 you can sail with an asymmetrical Spinnaker in lighter airs if you use a whisker pole and Genoa on a tri sail close reach. Get them all working!
Another great video, Patrick. I agree with you, spinakers may be difficult to tame when solo.
As someone else suggested Kleman, the only way to get comfortable, is to use it often. I really should throw it out much more often. Thanks for commenting.
I have 15 comments and 25 questions. I guess we'll have to meet! 😊
Patrick I pressed the like button on the video as you danced to the light of day. Your videos are awesome, keep making them, they are always a joy to watch. 😎
Many thanks AD Fishing.
Hi Patrick. Great videos..how do you manage your sleep on a 322nm trip. Fin.
Cancel my question below as you explained in next video. Thanks again.
Awesome to see you 'back' Patrick - was way too long between videos!
Very kind of you RoadGoose. Thanks for the encouragement.
I loved that dance, but do not give up the sailing ;-)
I was very interested in your spinnaker and it was a pity that a lot of the action was shielded behind the mainsail as we have no spinnaker at present and it is something that we are keen to learn more about, especially since your boat is so similar to ours. Keep up the passages - you are a great explainer and we learn so much from you.
[Edit: - I forgot to ask, what is the "turtle" that you left the velcro on?]
Thanks again ladies. The turtle is simply the bag the spinnaker is stowed in. It is such a big, light sail that they attach velcro to keep the tack, clew and head of the sail from getting tangled in the bag. One must make a note to oneself to remove said velcro before hoisting. :-) (I won't give up my day job for dancing…..yet.)
Good videp but your comments do not appear long enough
Hi Patrick, love your videos. Keep them coming. I have a question about your Efoy. How much methanol do you use? Did I hear you say you would have gotten the 210 if you had your time back? Do you still recommend it?
Thanks Patrick
Long may your big Jib draw
Thanks Craig. It is always a difficult question to answer, 'How much methanol do you use?' The reason is that if the wind dies on you and you fire up the engine for 2 hours to motorsail, the Efoy will stay in standby mode for another 18 hours. This year I sailed completely around the UK (Shetland Islands to Faroe Islands and back to France) and only used one 5 liter bottle of methanol in a 77 day voyage. (I carried 5 bottles with me to be safe.) Last year in my 2500 NM trip to and from the Azores, I only used 2.5 bottles. I love the Efoy, but would definitely choose the larger model (Comfort 210) if I had to do it again. In very rough weather, at night, with autopilot working hard, lights on, fridge on, etc., the Efoy wouldn't really bring the batteries back to full charge (but did hold them at a nice safe level indefinitely). In relatively calm weather, during the daylight hours, my Efoy does fully recharge the batteries. I'd feel much more confident with the larger model though. Fair winds.
Hi Patrick, crossed the Biscay this past June and it was really ugly. First, we were in a 30 ft boat, light displacement, tiller, no autopilot, rough seas 3 to 4 meter cross swell, fog for most part of the trip, only AIS receiver and no radar... it was a hell of a trip, but we made it safely to La Coruña. In your case, seems you had a pleasant time doing it.
One of this days would like to sail with you in one of these passages... I know you're always sail alone, but if you consider, just let me know.
Fair winds
I just returned this morning from A Coruna (Cedeira was actually my departure point to return.) It was like the trip you describe. I tacked an extra 120 miles becasue the wind was on the nose. I would have used the engine, but the 2 meter waves were coming directly at us, so it was better to sail. Very painful. Oof. Not one of my most fun passages. Thanks for commenting.
If you're gonna get a top down furler.
do this .... first connect the halyard to your bowsprit (or where you want to attach your new furller) . Go back to the halyard cleat or clutch tighten and mark the spinnacker halyard (marker pen) there. Back at the bowsprit unclip your spinnacker halyard fix a line to it and hoist this up to your sheave...tie the line off tight to a cleat. Back at the cleat/clutch tighten the halyard and mark it again. Now measure between the marks and you have the length of the top down torque line you want....maybe take a few inches off for tightening and stretch. Don't put all your faith in this method Patrick cos I've just invented it (that's the small print).
It's a marine thing...so it's expensive I expect.
I think that is just a great idea. Really. I'm attending a boat show in two weeks and I'll meet with the top down furling guys and see what the process is. This should be interesting. :-)
Learned a lot on your A-sail deployment. I had a sock on my last boat. Now I have a top down furler. Much easier. Is that in InReach tucked in you furled Bimini?
I'll be seriously looking at a top-down furler at a boat show in my home port at the end of September Good Ending. As you can see, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the current version I have --- doable, but uncomfortable. Yes, that is a Garmin InReach hanging from the bimini frame. I discuss its use in a couple of earlier episodes. Thanks for watching.
These sails work great to keep the boat moving when you have little wind. It's more fun than motoring... You may want something like the ATN Spinnaker Tacker that will increase performance. Tack can move higher with little movement aft. This can open the luff to more air and fun. Check out the video linked on the atninc.com website. Roller balls also work and it maybe something you could make. Quick release is something you will want. You can blow the tack and the sail goes behind the main. Then it is easy to pull down the sock. It's easy to leave it up too long. We take ours down when the wind approaches 15 knots apparent. That could be 25+ true on our boat.
I watched a couple of videos on the ATN Tacker Douglas. Interesting ---- but I have a bow sprit that keeps the tack pretty far out in front of the genny --- I don't really see an advantage to the Tacker over my current set-up. That said, they did seem to be able to gybe very easily with little fuss (much more so than on my boat). I'll give it some more thought and review. Thanks for the suggestion.
Some thoughts about spinnakers:
As a solo sailor I have not flown one. As part of a crew, I’ve flown many. Both flat cuts and radials. Like you, I feel the spinnaker is only seldom useful for solo cruising …maybe used as a more full-cut drifter.
Having only ever set one from the turtle with the tack on a pole or at the bow, I’m uncomfortable with seeing the tack flying free, level with the clew. But, with a crew we retrieved the sail from under the boom and stowed it down the companionway until the housecleaning was finished. So, I can understand the usefulness of the sock while solo sailing. Would it make the set faster to the sheets to have the sock up/downhaul lines lead to the mast base then to the cockpit?
Someone else mentioned that they run the sock lines to the cockpit too. I like the idea…..will give it some more thought.
Hi Patrick. When I solo sail with my gennicker I leave the main down. I get about the same SOG but can get the best out of the asymmetric. I drop it when true wind get to 18kts
I'll give that a try Craig. I am already so conservative with the use of the asy spinnaker, that it's performance plus is questionable. If I drop the main on top of that, I might come to the conclusion never to use it. :-)
Hi Patrick, thx for sharing your trip, good job ! Best regards Philip
Much appreciated Philip.
Oops, that bottom up comment was me too. The damned technology blabbed one of my secret identities. I prefer this one for sailing stuff....Ratus matches my true character better.
So while I was discovering that bottom up (I won't mention such ribaldry again!) left the furled Gennie so loose from halfway up that the top half would set up there...my erstwhile crew and I also found that it wasn't a great idea to unintentionally gibe while flying nor try to throw in a tack. We managed to catch a beautiful Gennacker on a spreader doing that....nick it one inch in from the leach and watch in horror as the nick ran the whole length down. we got a very long one inch ribbon. Luckily it was an easy fix. just a new hem. We got a bollocking though.
So in the end we furled unfurled when going through the wind and got pretty fast at that.
Ouch. Don't worry. it will be top down or nothing. :-)
Hi Patric,
I recommend investing in a Selden spinnaker furler. Fairly reasonably priced and makes single handing a breeze. You will end up using your spinnaker way more and can stow it safely in higher wind conditions as long as you blanket it properly with the main. Fair winds!
I almost bought one at the big marine show this year Gerloczyek. Instead, I bought an inner forestay with furler and staysail. Maybe next year!
Hi Patrick, Great Videos; have a question; I can see your garmin Inreach placed on the bimini ... is there not enough signal inside the boat for proper position reporting? Thanks Ted
Someone else made the same comment s51ta. They keep their InReach inside the boat. I tried, but members of my family lost tracking ---- but that may have been due to operator error. :-) I'll try again from the salon and see how it works. (The advice to backpackers in the instructions was to hang it outside their backpacks.)
Hi Patrick: link for pic of how the Tylaska pull to release fid would work if you were interested in insurance/extra margin of error.
i1.wp.com/www.sky-international.com/wp-content/uploads/Plug-fids_release.jpg?fit=896%2C682
Oh -- now I get it. I have a two inch lanyard on it. This is suggesting a much longer one. And why not. Many thanks.
That's a mohawk sun dance Patrick.
Previous docking technique I saw, they were dropping anchor as they got straight to slip approach, halting boat, with this method , with enough line to put them a couple meters away from dock then letting out chain to finish landing, seems safer. Comments anyone?
Using the anchor to moor is called 'Mediterranean Mooring'. The problem with it is that you are then absolutely committed to mooring, and the long length of chain/rope becomes a potential hazard for others, and when boats moor side by side, the lines often get crossed.
Isn´t it bad luck to play "Homeward Bound" that early in the trip? Might I suggest "I am a rock?"
;-) I didn't do that on purpose Erik. My daughter made me a playlist of about 80 songs on Spotify, and Homeward Bound just came up randomly when I had the camera on! Perfect timing. It isn't such a long trip this time anyway, as I intend to head back across the Bay of Biscay in about a week so as to arrive in La Rochelle in time for our big annual boat show.
I agree: spinnaker sails are challenging, if not difficult. The set up is important. Also , is it possible to place the camera closer to the bow ? Thanks Patrick.
Thanks NY 1970. The next time I shoot the spinnaker, I'll be much more particular about camera angles, and show how it is hooked up. (I'm going to try to launch it from the cockpit. That should be entertaining if nothing else.)
My dear chap you did it all beautifully. And interesting as ever. However, you had your (very sensible) life line around your neck and not clipped on.
I haven't figured out how to use the lifeline and launch/retrieve the spinnaker at the same time James. The spinnaker requires a LOT of mobility, and split second responses or things can go terribly wrong. The alternative is to buy a furling spinnaker that can be launched from the safety of the cockpit. That may be coming soon. Thanks for commenting.
It's a gennacker. Isn't it? Suggestion is tto get a top down furler...not bottom up I used one and it was a it was awful...tight furl @ bottom so loose @ top it would set in a gust.
Good to see you back and with The Wedding behind you.
Yes Ellul, you are right --- gennaker=asymmetric spinnaker --- but there are so many names for the darn things (and I have a whole other vocabulary for them in French too.) The model I looked at last year was top down --- with some kind of special carbon material furler cord to take the torsion. I'll check them out again to see what is new at a major boat show at the end of September. Thanks for the warning on bottom up.
You might look into purchasing a top down spinnaker furler. I see a bunch of other sailing channels use a sailmaker named Precision Sails for quality and price
Yeah, I seriously looked at that during the last boat show, but I had other priorities...... This would be a nice addition for sure.
Dancing at the light of day - I laughed out loud!! That was great. Thanks, Patrick!
Thanks again for watching BayAreaBlues
Hi Patrick. I have an identical assymetrical spinnaker setup that I occasionally singlehand. I do more or less the same as you do with a couple of minor differences.
- After I hoist the sail but before raising the sock I go back to the cockpit and tighten the tack line, then back to the bow to raise the sock. This is actually quite important. If the wind goes forward or a gust hits the sail while it's bagging out to the side like that it will knock the boat down right when you're walking around, not great. If the tack line is tight and the sheets are eased then the sail will simply luff until you're ready to sheet it home. Much like a jib would do.
- I put a bit more tension into the tack line than you seem to. If you look at the luff of the sail in the video you'll see that the whole sail is getting blown to leeward. That's not ideal, particularly if you're close to the wind, say trying to beam reach. You're getting more heel and less drive out of the sail than you could and you can't point as high or as deep as you could. Sag in the luff is inevitable, even desirable sometimes but not too much. Play with it, see if it makes a difference to heel/speed.
- The other problem with letting the tack blow around like that is chafe on the tack line. I don't know what kind of setup you have on your bow, I have a Selden removable sprit with a block on the end. I like to get the tack line all the way in so that the stopper ball is right to the block. This prevents chafe on the tack line. When sailing on long passages I've almost chafed through the tack line because I failed to do this. If necessary you might need to ease the halyard a bit to get the sail down there.
Thanks for the terrific videos. I'd love to see a tiny bit more of what you do when you're in port.
Thanks A+19. I think that is really good advice. I'll try to pull the tack a bit tighter before launching. It actually was 'tight', but I'll pull a bit more material out of the sock (which will help my problem of the sail bunching up in the snuffer also). I too have a Selden bow sprit that extends out about a meter in front of the bow. That makes getting the tack tight before deployment a bit more difficult, but I agree with you --- less slack is better.
Knowing it is difficult you made it look easy, good to see you sailing again.
Thanks again Barry. I don't think me and the spinnaker will ever be best friends, but my confidence grows using it each time. Fair winds.
Every video of yours I see reminds me that I long to be, Seaward bound.
Bravo. Very well-spotted dangre. I must admit that a couple of months ago when I was in the Irish Sea, homeward bound had very special meaning and intensity to me. ;-) Thanks for watching.
All my pleasure, glad to come along as a phantom shipmate!
Is that asymmetric? Sail looks symmetrical to me, but rigged with the 'tack' on the bow?
Yeah -- it's just the camera. It is definitely asymmetric. Thanks for watching.
Get a Code 0 on a furler. Almost as good as an Assymetrical and much easier to deploy and furl. I use the Code 0 singlehanded and the spinnaker in a sock doublehanded.
I almost bought one last year boat7381, but decided to go with the asymetric one more season. I really like the Code 0 idea though as you can sail much higher into the wind with it as well. Maybe Santa will read this. ;-)
Loving your videos! Just had a good binge on your tour of Britain... Spinnaker: Personally I'd hoist the sock, THEN the tack in, THEN raise the sock. It should fly immediately, possibly also raising the sock automatically. Grinding the tack in when flying is very hard in a blow...
Good suggestion. I'll give some thought to that. My bow sprit sticks out about 1.5 meters off the bow. To bring the tack in before launch would cause a fairly large 'banana' in the sock (and risk bunching inside the sock as I try to hoist it), and also bring the sock closer to the forestay (where it could wind around it during those few extra seconds of delay before hoisting). Nonetheless, I do find the idea appealing -- so may try it, or at least partially pulling in the tack a bit more before pulling the sock off. Thanks for suggesting this for consideration.
If you have the tack in, so the luff is tight, no way is it going to wrap. Also the sock will be continually blown away from the forestay. All you've got to do then is trim the sheet!
Richard.
Ditch the knot if you broach the rope must run through the jammer if the spinny fills with water you will go upside down and stay there
Hmmmm… I'll have to give some thought to that. I tie the halyard off at the mast so I can raise and retrieve the sock from the foredeck (the tail of the halyard does run to the cockpit, but that does no good if it is tied off on the mast). As I said, I can always pop the sheet from the cockpit if things get out of hand. Will need to think of this some more --- but there may be no ideal solution. Good, thought-provoking comment.
We on here, all await the publication of your father of the bride speech BTW. You owe us. We can't unsee that dance!
She has promised to forgive me in about ten years. :-)
Aren't you supposed to use a pole that connects the clew of the spinnaker to the mast ? That looked like great sailing weather. Thanks for sharing
A spinnaker pole to hold out the clew in light winds can be helpful ----- but is not at all mandatory --- and complicates maneuvers like gybing. It can also be used on the genoa for the same purpose --- again, nice to have, but not mandatory. Good question Robert.
i remember reading somewhere that if you don’t want the spinaker to get tangled in the forestay, you just have to unfurl the genoa..haven’t tried it yet but i will
Yes Boris. A lot of people do that (hoist shielded by the genoa). I'm going to try that, as well as hoisting from the cockpit in the near future. I'll film it if possible. Thanks for commenting.
Hello sir, What autopilot do you have? Maybe in an unseen episode you speak of it. Which one?
I don't think I've covered the autopilot Safari. It is a Lewmar model (I forget the number) which is controlled by a Raymarine ST6002 controller in the cockppit. The amount of gears and levers and pumps under the deck to make the autopilot work is amazing…...
Another great post from you Patrick. Thanks.
Many thanks. I greatly appreciate the feedback.
"It doesn't get any better than this" always gives me the shivers when someone says it on a sail
Always a pleasure sailing with you, Patrick.
You are the privat dancer 👍😂💕
PL, thanks for sharing, one suggestion, some of your captions are a little short on time, please leave them up for a few seconds longer, at least for me, ha!
Agree ray.
Another excellent video by an accomplished solo sailor. Well done. Very informative and a pleasure to watch.
An enjoyable passage Patrick. I notice the fingers in the Spanish harbor were quite short. Surprising. Plus, it appeared that all vessels were bow first into the slips. Is this typical of a Spanish harbor or that region? You do make good use of your vessel!
Welcome back Bill. People moor stern first in the Med because there are no fingers, so they need to drop the anchor to keep the bow in place. In places where there are fingers on the pontoon, the vast majority of people moor bow first -- the exception being some people with swim platforms find it easier to get on and of the boat from the stern than stepping up tot he gunnel on the side. In my home port on the Atlantic (with fingers), I would guess that about 90% of the boats are in bow first. And you are right, those fingers in that Spanish Harbour are quite short --- but that is true in many French ports as well (unfortunately). That actually forces me (as a solo sailor) to moor differently than I would if the finger were longer and I could use a spring line on the first cleat (not possible on a short finger). Fair winds to you.
@@patricklaine6958 Thanks! That makes perfect sense now that you illustrate it. I'll be sailing out of Dubrovnik in May the first time in a number of years that we last did that. Now living in Italy for a few years.
i use my genacker maybe twice per season - pain when solo sailing despite of the sock seemingly making it 'so simple'
I really need to figure out how to get comfortable with this. As you say, for now it is more 'pain' than enjoyment, but my confidence is slowing improving.
Patrick welcome back. We missed you! Hope wedding went well and that you gave a great speech? One question: how do you raise main single handed? Do you use autopilot into wind and winch from cockpit? I am trying to figure out the best way. I often sweat from the mast as it’s so much quicker to avoid the lazy jacks. But I never single hand. Yet. Have similar sized boat. Best, T
Wedding was wonderful. All went well except the part where some guy took away my little girl. To raise the main I 1) point into the wind, 2) engage the autopilot (with prop at fast idle -- 1300-1400 RPM) 3) take the main sheet off the winch so that the boom can swing freely with wind gusts, 4) pull the main 3/4 of the way up from the cockpit by hand, then put 3-4 turns on the winch and crank it all the way up. I then 5) immediately run to the main sheet winch and lock it tight to keep the boom in the center. Then 6) off autopilot and turn toward desired heading (with boom centered). At my leisure, I then ease the main sheet to let the boom out. I catch my breath by cleaning up the halyard (8"s around the winch), and then turn my attention to the genoa furler. Everything is done from the cockpit. Works well on my boat anyway.
Patrick thank you. Great reply and very detailed. I will practice that.
So glad that you made another video, I have a place in Royan and hope to see you sailing. Good luck
Hello jr. Almost every season I head down your way, but I find Port Medoc a bit easier for a solo sailor, as the docking situation at Royan can be a bit of circus at times. I'm sure I'll make a port call in the region sometime soon.
Hi Patrick, I know I'm way behind but re watching your excellent videos mainly because we are considering crossing Biscay. Rather than following your route. I would like to coastal hope and wondered if there are any stop over ports along the coast from your homeport to the Spanish Coast. Looking forward to watching your new adventures
Going south on the French coast below La Rochelle is not a great idea. The next feasible stop (below La Rochelle) is Port Medoc, or its twin just across the Gironde river, Royan. However getting there requires going up the river for about 2 hours. Further south --- stay away from Arcachon --- it is really for locals only, and can be dangerous with shifting sand bars, shallow water and dangerous surf. Instead, you can go to the corner of Spain and France and stop in Hendaye. However, the wind along that Southern coast of France/Spain is often very weak. I prefer leaving La Rochelle and going across Biscay to Gijon (midway along the Spanish coast), which is a lively city. Going west from Gijon, there are numerous scenic bays and marinas every 30 miles or so.
@@patricklaine6958 Thank you for spending your time to reply. I found the information was really helpful its always very helpful to gain information from those who's sail the local areas. I will certainly take your advice. Much appreciated 👍
Well done Patrick!
I agree about the lifelines, sometimes they'll the cause of a bigger problem. With not too rough weather you're more than forgiven.
Enjoy your beer. You deserve it.
Cheers 🍺
I'm going to test a method to launch the spinnaker from the cockpit. If it works, that could be very interesting (and much safer)…… Thanks for watching Carlos
@@patricklaine6958 yes, I prepared the snuffer line for that too. But in reality one wants to be in front of the mast to see how everything goes. I sewed my sock myself. With ripstop nylon and sailcloth. Extremely satisfying to see it work.
Looking forward to see your solution.
All the best,
Carlos
You do have to admit that kiting a spinnaker is about the sexiest thing you can do while sailing.
Can't argue at all with that (but it does scare the heck out of me sometimes!).
What do you do in your free time on the boat ?
Always tether when single-handing, in the cockpit or open deck. The tether should be short enough to allow you to perhaps touch the water with your feet but never into the water altogether. As you say, it is near impossible to pull yourself back aboard once you're all the way in. The solution certainly isn't to simply abandon the tether, but to shorten it. With the tether fully extended, your shoulders should be roughly even with the gunwales. Inconvenient? Certainly. But decidedly less inconvenient than watching your boat sail away. As to your asym-spinnaker let me say use it at every opportunity. Make it second nature. If you're going to carry it and use it at all then master it. With your intelligence, it will become completely familiar very quickly. I saw your dancing. You're a braver man than I, putting that on vid. Bravo. Fair seas my friend.
I agree with all except the part about the dancing. There is a hit TV show in the UK called 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I'm sending in my application. :-)
Ha! Your good nature and sense of rhythm ensure you'll be a hit.
Bonza video mate, missed your vids, made wet and damp Sunday lovely
Very kind Will. Thanks.
Hello Patrick. I believe you mentioned you are a retired pilot: can you tell us what you flew and for whom? Thank you and thank you for your service!
I served as a fighter pilot for about 10 years in the US and French Navies flying the A7E Corsair II with the US Navy and the Super Etendard of Exocet fame with the French Navy. Great fun, and nothing like landing on a carrier to focus one's attention. :-) Thanks for watching CRS.
Fantastic! Again, thank you for your service! You graduated to a much prettier airplane in the Super Etendard, in my opinion.. :) Were you active US Navy but flying for France or retired US Navy. My brother flew the P-3 Orion (USN) in the 90s. Thanks for posting and sharing your knowledge and experiences! Greetings from NYC!
Enjoyed the episode! Thanks!
Welcome back Szymon. Thanks.
Nice passage and looks like you had very good weather and seas.
Yes ---- I've been across the Bay of Biscay almost 30 times now --- no two passages alike! She can be kind and gentle, or vicious and mean!
Your Videos are great, eventhough your sailing is much better then your dancing ;-) Thank you for the lovely coolness in which you perform your actions on board. Safe Sailings!
Welcome back, lovely passage. Hope all the celebrations went to plan.
You can count on that Chris. I don't film my shore activities, because I apply the rule 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' everywhere I go. :-)
I'm just catching up on your videos. Great stuff and enjoyable. On the spinnaker instead of bringing a line from the tack back to a winch, put a short strop from the tack to an eye at the bow. Just attach the strop with a quick release snatch shackle, which keeps the tack of the sail in place (you never need to adjust the tack as you're not using a pole). On Gybing , run the lazy sheet around the outside of the forestay. To gybe let the clew go forward of the forestay, then pull in the lazy sheet on the new tack ( ie the sail passes ahead of the boat)
Thanks. Yes, I've tried both methods of gybing (inside and outside). My concern is that the sock frame will somehow wind around the stay the wrong way, and then I'm in big trouble ----- even more so now that I have added an inner forestay. I need to be VERY conservative as a solo sailor ---- so think I'll keep dropping the sock before each gybe.... Thanks for the good suggestion anyway.
@@patricklaine6958 ah ok. On racing boats the spinnaker is outside and above the forestay so no fear of wrapping. Ever think of a code 0 instead. Great cruising sail and stick on a furler free flying (no forestay) is easy to manage single handed.
Patrick, thanks for all your great videos and for sharing your knowledge. Would it be an option for a less experienced sailor like myself to follow the coast around rather than going straight across the Bay? Obviously, it would take a great deal longer but to not lose sight of land would be my preferred option.
That is a difficult question Richard……...those waters around Arcachon can be absolutely treacherous, and you can get boxed in the corner of the Bay further South……..with winds being very difficult to negotiate with from the corner out to A Coruna. My advice, worth exactly what you paid for it, but if I were nervous about the crossing, I'd choose a modest crossing (La Rochelle to Gijon), with a perfect weather window, rather than descending all the way down the coast. La Rochelle to Gijon is a confidence builder passage that is not too hard……..hundreds of boats do it every year.
@@patricklaine6958 Thanks Patrick
Thanks for sharing another great video. You are an inspiration!
Thanks for the kind feedback Richard.
hi patrick- have you ever seen how an asym or code0 performance set up is rigged? it's how i rig my asym to gybe easily singlehand. take that slack spinnaker sheet and run it up and around the forestay. to gybe you let the loaded sheet fly. this will blow the clew forward of the bow. since the sheet you are moving to is in front of the forestay, all you have to do is trim it in and the asym will gybe around forward of the forestay. a neat trick is to tape a batten or dowel to your sprit, angled slightly upwards, this will eliminate any chance of the fore-run sheet going under the boat. check out some bow shots of the Volvo boats, and watch them gybe their code0's. it works great for a singlehander. i rig my asym sheets with quick release shackles. i step out of the cockpit, pull the pin and fly the clew forward. then i go to the new winch and trim. safe and easy. instead of totally de-rigging when i go back to the genoa, i just douse with the sock, cleat it off and leave the sock up ready for quick deployment.
Great comment. I actually do rig the asym fully (with the lazy sheet forward of the genny). I just don't gybe because I am concerned the sock (bunched up at the top of the halyard) will get twisted up in the forestay, and I just can't take the chance of having to go up the mast when solo to try to untangle things. Also, once when I was abouut to drop the asym, I was a little slow and the top of the sail wrapped around the forestay clockwise, and the bottom of the sail counterclockwise. An hour of struggle ensued. Fortunately in light winds/seas. When I drop the asym, I first tie a big knot in the end of the sheet, and then throw it overboard to create drag on clew. It works well, except when the winds are very light and the sail can drift around. I will do as you suggest and watch some more videos to see how others do it. Thanks for commenting.
Patrick Laine wow- brilliant, dragging the line is a great idea! i'm going to try that this weekend. i was very happy when i got my ATN sock and tacker, but i recently delivered a new boat that had a quiver of sails on top-down furlers.......what a luxury!!!! open the bag, hoist with a halyard, run the furling line back and presto- downwind bliss.
Keep Dancing!! I enjoy your videos!!
I've promised my daughter to only dance off-camera henceforth. Many of my subscribers are greatly relieved. :-) Thanks for watching.
Hi Having sailed to France some time ago reaching RYA coastal skipper standard I appreciate your committmnet to safe sailing and I have followed most of your great videos. I notice that you do not always use your harness, is this wise considering the possibility that you may fall overboard.
it's not a spinakker its a gennaker, and if u tighten the tack at the beggening its so much easier
The problem with tightening the tack on my boat is that the sail is attached to a bow sprit. If I pull it tight before launching, I'll have 3.5-4 meters of sail in the wind before I even begin to hoist. In later episodes I show a method that I have now used about 60 times with the asymmetric spinnaker with pretty good success. I put one turn on the winch with the sheet and bring it forward with me when I hoist the sock. I pull on the sheet 3-4 times as I hoist the sock. It works quite nicely. I show this technique in later episodes several times.
Just found you
Great little films
Thanks for sharing with us all, despite our best efforts not ever operation is perfect
Kids eh.....!
Try instead the lower spinnaker pole mast ring, it works well!
Yours sincerely.
Pepe
It's blocked by some other hardware, but I'll find an easy solution. I really want to try to launch from the cockpit without all of that running around. I do worry that the sock will take too much of a banana shape once hoisted --- and the material will remain bunched up within at launch but I am definitely going to try this method. Thanks for the tip.
th-cam.com/video/qt1Q-vb-fN0/w-d-xo.html
With compliments
Pepe Prego
Malaga, SPAIN
Moves like Jagger :) great video as always sir! atb
My daughter still is not speaking to me. :-) Thanks for watching.
Loved the dancing! Thanks again for another great video.
Many thanks or the encouragement. Much appreciated.
The previous owner of my boat often sailed shorthanded and had a roller furling block added to the Gennaker, with a closed loop led back to the cockpit. I don't have a Genoa like you, only a standard Jib, and so the Gennaker fills the gap between 7 & 14kts True wind. It's not perfect. One in five times, the thin material nips back on itself during the furling process, and jams. Locking it from furling in or out. It's a sail I use in calm seas, good visibility and consistent wind. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Johnny. I have had the top of that sail wrapped clockwise around the stay, and the bottom wrapped counter clockwise. I thought I would never get it down, and afterward I swore, 'Never Again!" (but went out the next week and tried it again. :-) There is a major boat show in my home town in two weeks. I'm going to check out the furling spinnakers. I understand there are some fairly good ones now at reasonable prices.
That's exactly what happens with mine. Due to the slight arc in the leading edge, the top and bottom roll tighter, leaving some sag in the middle. It's the middle that has a tendency to nip in behind and lock. I've learned to stop furling, walk forward, and try to pull the loose mid section down. That's the only way I've found to encourage the nipped material free. Then it's a case of letting the sail out, and starting again. If possible add a quarter turn on the winch to take any sag out of the forestay. Have fun at the boat show. I'm looking forward to the Dusseldorf show in January.
Excellent info. I'll ask about this on the stands of the furling guys. Many thanks.
good to be back on board again. Another interesting passage.
Thanks for the feedback Tom. Much appreciated.
I always enjoy your videos, I have a split reacher made from spinnaker cloth on my boat the luff is in the middle of the sail like a butterfly, no hanks a torque rope is sewn into the luff, and a Profur Nex 5 flying sail Furler has better control than my sock and spinnaker. I can spread the sail wing on the wing or let the windward half of the sail overlap the other half by bringing the lazy sheet, as there are two sheets per side. This setup means you don't need to tender the sail or experience a rap, and it takes the risk out of tacking. Plus, you can reduce the size of the sail. The sail area is the same as a spinnaker, and you can reduce it in half by dropping the windward sheet and pulling on the spare lazy sheet on the leeward side. One other thing because you're not trying to sail the boat under a flying spinnaker the boat is pulled by the nose of the boat if you like. I find I can catch and pass boats with flying spinnakers. As the boat is more stable under sail and I can tack as I like. Love your videos keep up the good work SV Skoiern IV
Wow, that is a really unique set-up you have. I don't think I have ever seen one rigged like that. I was tempted to buy an ISTEC Parasailor because a friend has one and loves it (self-corrects in a gust). Did you buy yours from a company, or make it yourself from a design? Sounds interesting!
@@patricklaine6958 Hi Patrick Elvstrom sails and Norths make them, here is a link mine are built from spinner cloth. in France a long time ago for the BOC race.
th-cam.com/video/Ip5oW4TZz4Q/w-d-xo.html
@@johnmajewski1065 Thanks. Very interesting.
You don't use a pole?
It's been a long few month's. Good to see you back out on the open ocean and sailing, whilst imparting practical single handed sailing techniques. Many thanks and fair winds sir.
Much appreciated Steve.
Good to see you back.
I have always been taught to hoist the spinnaker with the genoa out, roll it away and let it fill.
I think that is clearly a preferred method if you don't have a sock, but with a sock, I think the shielding is less necessary. The real beauty of the sock comes into play when bringing the sail down (not so much when putting it up). Bringing down a spinnaker without a sock is probably something I would not do as a solo sailor (though many do). Just too much sail, and too many things that can go wrong. Someone else suggested I launch and retrieve with the sock behind the unfurled genoa as you suggest. I may give it a try to see how it works.
Interesting. I currently don't use a sock, but have been given one by a chap who said he never used it. I need to sit with my sailmaker over a cup of coffee and get him to modify it for my sail.
Regards
Sandy