How do you fly a symmetrical (Etchell) spinnaker properly? (Need help urgently))?

Question

I have been asked to sail with Peter Bromby tomorrow (google him) and I have absolutely NO knowledge of how to fly a spinnaker. Could you give me to a good explanation of the proper technique, how to respond to puffs and lulls, where to position the pole (forward/back/up/down) how to know if the sheet is in enough or too much etc.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

I could explain from personal knowledge, but I queried a website and found a good succinct description of all the necessary steps so I'm going to borrow that one instead.  I'll leave a link to the website down below.  I should explain thought that the main adjustment you'll be making will be to the sheet, and that will be to keep it right on the edge of curling.

Trimming the Spinnaker

The following instructions cover the basics of trimming the spinnaker. If you are not worried about going as fast as possible (i.e., you aren't racing), this may be all you'll ever need to know.

Trimming the spinnaker primarily involves only three adjustments: (1) raising or lowering the pole, (2) moving the outboard end of the pole forward or aft, and (3) pulling in or easing the sheet. Fortunately, there are good indicators of what to do in each of these three areas. The following table describes how and when to make each of these adjustments.

Height

The pole height should be set so that the tack and the clew are at the same height. So, for example, if the tack (the pole corner) is lower than the clew then you will raise the pole. When changing pole height be sure to adjust the inboard end of the pole so that it stays level (i.e. perpendicular to the mast). Keeping the pole level assures that the spinnaker is "catching" the most wind possible. It is also safer since the pole's rigging becomes less effective as the pole tilts up or down.

Angle

The pole should be set so that it is perpendicular to the apparent wind direction. (Apparent wind is the wind you experience on the boat which is combination of the actual wind and the wind created by your movement through the water.) This is easiest to do when the boat has a wind vane on top of the mast. If the boat doesn't have a wind vane, you can make do by attaching lengths of yarn to the middle of the pole, to the shrouds, or to the backstay.

Sheet

The sheet should be eased until the luff just begins to curl. The trimmer should be continually easing and sheeting in (it is easy to over trim and thus stall the spinnaker).

This was a very efficient description so I used it.  The only other things you may run across are the skipper's preferences for flying the angle on the pole at times not at right angles to the wind for different point of wind.

Have fun.. Hope you get the gun...