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Spinnaker gybing
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The following article describes a safe and fast way of gybing (jibing) a spinnaker on a 40 foot yacht. The key aim has been to reduce complexity so that no one in the crew is trying to do several things at once. E.g. it's quite a common technique, where the spinnaker trimmer tries to trim both sheets at the same time during the gybe, which on this size of boat becomes nearly impossible in a good breeze.
The method requires that you prepare by making a mark on each of the spinnaker sheets for a base trimming position where the spinnaker clews only just clears the forestay when sailing without a pole.
To break down the activities it's easier to look at the gybing maneuver as a three phase operation:
- Preparing for Gybe (Jibe)
- Gybing
- Post-Gybe
Phase 1: Preparing for Gybe
- Tactician: calls "Set up for a gybe!"
- Mast: Raises the pole on the mast to the dip mark. Calls "Pole ready!"
- Pit: Prepares the new sheet on the winch and throws it forward so that the spinn-trimmer can reach it later
- Main: Centers the Vang and starts bringing on the main sheet. Calls: "Main ready!"
Everyone else just keeps doing what they're doing, in particular Spinn-trimmer concentrates on trimming the kite, and the helmsman sails to optimal wind angle.
Spinnaker sailing - without the pole
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Many sailors, myself including, are so used to the "normal" way of working with the pole and spinnaker together that the thought of sometimes working the spinnaker without the pole hasn't really occurred to us. We keep doing the same setup; first putting the pole up before hoisting the spinnaker, foredeck working frantically on getting the pole reconnected after a gybe, and pole staying up until the spinnaker is safely stored under deck at a drop.
This article is challenging this routine and suggests that in some instances there are better and faster ways of working with the spinnaker.
Purpose of the pole
There are two key reasons we use a pole when sailing with a symmetrical spinnaker:
- Increasing the exposure of the spinnaker to the wind, pushing it out to windward and hence avoiding the disturbed wind behind the main sail.
- Controlling the trim of the spinnaker, being able to adjust the height of the clew with the lift (uphaul) and kicker (downhaul).
Situations when it may be better to get rid of the pole
Chinese Gybes - and how to avoid them
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A "Chinese Gybe" (jibe) also known as a "death roll" is feared by many and we need to know how best to avoid them.
The scenario:
You're sailing dead downwind in windy conditions, and suddenly the boat starts rolling back and forth with increasing amplitude to the point where the boat actually broaches to windward. As the boat is broaching to windward it is also turning sharply to leeward causing it to gybe uncontrolled - "crash gybe".
This is quite common on dinghies and also on larger keel boats, especially when using spinnaker. Personally I've experienced it numerous times sailing dinghies but only once so far in a big boat (40 feet).
Heavy wind gybing - fast and safe!
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Gybing the boat in windier conditions is always going to be a bit of a challenge and there's plenty of opportunity for mistakes which can slow you down and even be dangerous. With the right preparations and precaution taken you can significantly improve your chances of safe and fast gybes, even when the wind is above your normal level of comfort. This article is focusing entirely on the main sail aspect of the gybe, genoa and/or spinnaker gybing will be covered in another article.
Preparations
The key principle to bear in mind when gybing the main is to do it when the boat is going its fastest, i.e. during a surf or even planing(for a centerboard boat).
If at all possible, avoid gybing at the mark as it will mean you can't pick the ideal timing of the gybe from a wind and boat speed perspective.