Pack an Asymmetric Spinnaker
An asymmetric spinnaker is a sail that is used on many modern racing sailboats. The word pack in the title means preparing the spinnaker for hoisting so that it fills properly with no wraps. Learning how to pack your spinnaker properly will ensure you can keep it in top condition so you can be ready for the races!
Contents
Steps
General boats
- Start with the spinnaker in the foredeck area, underneath the forward hatch.
- Find the clew (lower aft corner) of the spinnaker. Put it to the port side of the foredeck area.
- Follow the tape from the clew to the tack (lower forward corner) of the spinnaker. Put the tack on the starboard side of the foredeck area.
- Follow the tape from the tack to the head, or top corner, of the spinnaker. Put the head in the middle of the foredeck area.
- Tie the spinnaker sheets, spinnaker halyard, and spinnaker tack the line to the clew, head, and tack respectively.
- For better care, this technique should be used
- Find the head of the spinnaker.
- Going along the starboard (green) side, stretch to one arm's length and fold the two parts you are holding.
- Continue until you reach the clew.
- Do the same on the port (red) side.
- Keeping the ends together, put it in your spinnaker bucket for future use.
Tips
- Make sure that the tack line is placed over the spinnaker sheets, so that the spinnaker clew jibes "inside" the spinnaker luff.
