spinnaker gybing... it's difficult to explain in words, but I don't have photos taken during the heat of battle.
Setup:
I raced SSS TransPac in a 33' boat and a 45' boat. I set up the symmetric spinnakers on poles on both boats with ATN spinnaker socks - I think these are excellent tools, and yes, they have their idiosyncracies and add complexity. Now that I'm cruising and not racing so much, I still carry three kites - 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 (shy kite) AirX cloth and they are wonderful.
I've tried two-pole gybe set ups with lines lead to the cockpit, too complicated to pull off easily. I took that off the boat.
I've tried bringing the sock lines to the cockpit, that didn't work so well for me, sock lines are now left strongly attached to one of the big dock line cleats up forward. It's no fun when the sock descends when there is no wind and the kite collapses and it's no fun when the sock shoots up and you lose the sock lines off to leeward (or worse, up in the air) as the spinnaker fills when there is plenty of wind. Sock lines are never left loose on the foredeck, they are always under control.
My spinnakers are big enough, even while still in the sock, to lift me off the deck. That's scary when you're pulling down on the halyard and instead the halyard lifts you up. Highest I've been is toes-dangling four feet up off the deck. It's a problem - if you let go the kite is going into the drink, if you hang on you might smack your head on the spreader. I now only hoist kites when I'm standing behind the halyard winch and have two wraps on the winch. It's a slower hoist but I'm not going to get yanked up the rig.
Consider wearing gloves while handling the spinnaker halyard. It's too easy to have something go wrong and the halyard goes ripping out. Your hands are incredibly important for the race, protect them from rope burns. I mostly don't wear gloves unless I'm working the spinnaker halyards.
Martin-breakers are a good thing when you want to unload the kite in a super hurry. They are nothing more than a way to remotely trip/release the kite from the afterguy. You need to use Tylaska/Sparcraft snap shackles that open using a fid shoved into the shackle body that releases the lock mechanism. Attach a light 1/8" line to a fid with a hole drilled in the tip (the martin-breaker) that is inserted into the shackle release, and lead that line aft to the cockpit, or even your bunk; if a squall appears unexpectedly you an trip the shackle and allow the spinnaker to turn into a gigantic flag as it flies from the halyard and spin sheet, hopefully it remains in the lee of the mainsail.
Gybing:
I will do a flying gybe in 15-18 knots of wind depending upon the autopilot's ability to control the boat in the existing sea state. In flat water I can gybe in more wind, in ocean swell with the masthead waving all over the place I gybe in less wind. For flying gybes I run really deep - 170 AWA or so - gybe the pole onto the lazy guy, square back the pole so it cannot strike the headstay but not raise it on the topping lift (otherwise the pole can poke a hole in the spinnaker foot - don't ask me how I know this) , shift sheets & guys on the winches, tell the autopilot to go through DDW and perhaps 30 degrees up on the other gybe, while this is happening the mainsail comes through. At that point the main and kite are now on the new gybe, time to make sure the mainsheet is way out and that the kite is now flying on the new guy and new sheet. Then arrange course & trim to suit.
You do have a spinnaker net, don't you? You will want one. Use it. Religously. Don't leave home without it.
Failing a flying gybe, I will leave the kite up, bear off, pole forward to blanket the kite behind the main, pull the sock all the way to the deck. I've had poor luck with only socking the kite halfway - the upper section that is socked likes to wrap around the headstay, it only takes one or two wraps and I can't unwrap it without dropping the socked kite all the way, only at that point I can't get the sock to come down or go up (too much friction). I find it easiest to sock the kite to the deck cleat (firmly attach the sock lines to the cleat), gybe the main, gyge the pole and square back the pole, poke the socked kite around the front of the headstay. At that point I have stop and look at conditions and decide if I want to hoist the sock straight away and release the kite, or if I would prefer to drop the socked kite to the deck and swap out to the correct halyard, etc. When I can't do a flying gybe, I often drop the whole sock to the deck, check everything out, swap halyards, and rehoist - much slower, much more organized.
For douses, I just run super deep, pole forward, open the foredeck hatch (do not fall in, that would hurt), dump the sheet a whole bunch (but not free, just ease 15 feet or so), sock the kite, and simultaneously grasp the sock with my left arm, ease the halyard with my right arm (halyard has at least 1 wrap on the winch), and push the socked kite down the hatch.
For crewed racing I love the letter box drop provided the cockpit crew and in particular the pit person, is good. If they're not so good, it's easier to pull the kite down behind the jib and onto the foredeck while stuffing it down the hatch.
- rob/beetle
