Tight Spinnaker Reaches

[cdiehl7]

For those who race PHRF... what are your thoughts on tight spinnaker reaches? It seems like we are competitive on every point of sail for the most part but on this one. Is this just a downfall to the design or am I doing something wrong? Does anyone use an asymmetric spinnaker?

[Gregg]

I agree, it is not the best point of sail with the spin. I have found that depending on what the angle is, I will drop the spin and go to the genoa with a outboard sheet on a snatch block. Depending on currents I will raise the board a foot or two.

In lighter air I find the spin pretty effective on reaches.

In general on reaching I will drop the outboard end of the pole to lengthen the leading edge of the sail.

Unless you are doing long distance racing with, I don't think the Assym pays off. I race on a Sydney 38 with both, we use the Assym on offshore races where we thing the racing will be more reaching, and then a sym for W/L stuff.

Good luck

Gregg

[Bruce Baker]

My thought on tight spinnaker reaches is "just say no". In the Figawi race on Memorial Day, we were playing cat and mouse with a J-24. They were ahead of us when they put up their spinnaker in a 90 degree reach. We blew by them with a genoa up. We were five minutes ahead by the time they gave up on the spinnaker.

Having said that, you sometimes put the spinnaker up in a broad reach and end up in a tight reach. Dropping the pole several feet helps make the leading edge of the spinnaker tight, making it sail more like a big genoa.

Bruce Baker
GIT-R-DONE
430