What Kite is right for me?

Cruising Asymmetric

So you have been sailing for a little while in your new boat, discovering the joys of sailing as a recent convert or re-embracing the sport of your youth now you have a settled lifestyle. Coming more familiar with the nuances of your craft and developing confidence in your boat handling. The fun of participating in twilight or lower level recreational racing is apparent. What better than a bit of competition?

As the racing bug takes hold, we develop the desire to improve our results and start to cultivate rivalries and greater challenges. Sound familiar!

A lot of sailors go through this change of role for their boat. I have had more than one boat owner say to me twelve months into a boat ownership, “I should have got the taller rig/ spinnaker /racing sails option”.

One of the more frustrating aspects these sailors encounter is running downwind in light to moderate conditions watching the fleet moving further away under spinnaker. Once you have decided that you want some more horse power down wind, questions arise about what spinnaker is for me?

The first choice is do I want an Asymmetric or a Symmetric spinnaker? Let’s look at the pros and cons of both styles

Pros

The symmetric spinnaker (S-sail) is as the name implies is a sail where one side is a mirror image of the other. This makes it very versatile as going one way the leading edge (luff) is presented to the wind, after gybing the sail is simply re trimmed and the previous trailing edge (leech) becomes the luff. On a well crewed and competent boat it will not even collapse during the gybe. Set up on an adjustable spinnaker pole enables the sail to be moved around to suit the wind angle and as a result the symmetric spinnaker has a wide range of wind angles it can be used at. From proud running to quite shy reaching it will fly, although it won’t be at its best when reaching with the wind across the sail due to its symmetric nature. It is more of a downwind “catch the wind” sail.

The asymmetric ( A-sail) on the other hand is designed with a luff and leech as per a working sail and as a result is a “one way” sail. In a gybe the sail is turned around and reversed to go the other way. As it uses laminar flow across the sail to generate power, it is a better sail reaching and provides a bit more control. It is also regarded as a safer sail to use as the tack point is fastened down to the boat, either directly or on a downhaul. With this feature it cannot sky or get too far away from the boat. This can make recovery a lot easier when things go wrong. The other appealing feature about the A-sail is without the spinnaker pole and added paraphernalia it is cheaper to set up and easier to use with less lines to operate.

Cons

The S-sail has some issues, it is regarded as a bit more dangerous as it can sky or get away from the boat when things go wrong. We have all seen numerous pictures of boats pinned on their side with halyard and sheets all at their max extent and spinnaker recovery looking quite unlikely. The S-sail also requires more crew to deal with the extra lines and gybing/ setting the spinnaker pole. Plus gybing is fine when all goes well but a lot of boats can have issues unless competent.

The A-sail on the other hand whilst more controllable does have a few concerns that arise. The main one is that as the sail in most cases is tacked down on or near the centreline of the boat, the sailing angle is dictated by the need to have flow across the sail. It is very hard to run on a low angle without a spinnaker pole as the sail will get blanketed by the mainsail’s wind shadow. You may need to sail a lot of angles and put in a few gybes to get to a mark straight downwind. Speaking of which gybing is easier and crew friendly but does have some pitfalls. As the sail has to be reversed and pulled inside out so to speak, it can be hard to get right without some practise. With  the sail being collapsed and reset it must be flown carefully prior to the gybe to avoid tangling and getting caught before it gets around the forestay.

What sail?

So we have decided to invest in a spinnaker, what type and what size? Think carefully about your sailing and where and how you race or sail. How many crew do you have? If you sail in lesser winds, have a good crew, do a lot of windward return courses, then the symmetric sail is a better choice for you. If you sail a lot of set courses, have too often sail a bit short crewed, like to go out in a bit of breeze than go for an asymmetric.

The standard sail sizing for when boats have only have one downwind S-sail in their wardrobe is what most sail makers refer to as an S2 (maxi runner). This is a full sized spinnaker built from a slightly heavier cloth for a bit of resilience and reliability. Pretty much a downwind sail it can be used a bit shy when the breeze is light enough, can be complemented later by a more robust smaller sail for heavier winds or shyer angles if a second kite is in the mix now or later.

The one A-sail is usually an A-3 cut, a good all-purpose sail, it is not quite full size and built from moderately heavy cloth for reaching and versatility. It will not be at its best trying to get directly downwind as mentioned earlier, but is the workhorse of many asymmetric off wind wardrobes. Can be complimented by either an A2 for maximum running or an A5 for heavier reaching depending on your individual circumstance.

Of course if you have the option of utilising  either style then an S2 and A5 will have you covered for most eventualities. The other choice for very shorthanded sailors is a Code 0 which is the most headsail-like of all the spinnakers, designed for light airs and close reaching, it can often be used on your cruiser poled out wing and wing and is easy to use and gives a lot of the benefits of the spinnaker without the hassle. Code 0's come in all shapes and sizes with some for more broader angles and others like the Screecher style for when the apparent wind is forward.

Other options-

Second hand

A lot of sailors who are sometimes spinnaker users are often looking at the second hand market for economy. Be careful, most sailors hold onto their spinnakers until they are pretty shot! If you do  happen to get a bargain, well and good. Just a reminder, sailmakers can recut sails to fit your rig unless there is a huge difference which will compromise the designed shape too much. Generally speaking it is easier to cut down a slightly larger sail than to make a smaller sail bigger. If we have to add significant cloth then the second hand sail needs to be in near new condition. Converting symmetric spinnakers to an asymmetric is possible but it takes a lot of work and a good sailmakers eye! So once again the cloth and sail have to be in very good shape.

Parachute sails

These have been around for a while and had a brief flurry of popularity with the long haul cruising fraternity but did not really catch on. Flown up in the air a long way from the boat which may cause some concerns, some sailors had success with them. Interestingly enough they have recently be seen as a fuel saving option on large commercial craft!

Para Sailer

These have been around for a while in various forms,  basically a symmetrical spinnaker with the addition of a vent near the vertical centre to allow then to fly easier by creating lift. This concept is not new one, I can recall a black and white picture from the 60's of  a "venturi" Herbulot spinnaker on a 12m class with slits across the sail as an early example. The vent does work to an extent and generates more stability than a conventional spinnaker but obviously with less power and extra cost, they have become popular on long distance passage making events like the Alantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). Particularly on multihulls where the greater beam of the multiple hulls means they can be easily flown without a pole ( like any symmetric). Note on monhulls, if you do want to run square with the mainsail up you will need to fly it on a spinnaker pole like any symmetric spinnaker despite some grandiose claims to the contrary.

Finally we have the hardware to accompany the spinnaker you decide and this is usually orientated toward setting and dousing the sail- deck launch/ hatch drop, sleeves or snuffers as they are sometimes called, bottom up furlers and top down furlers! I suspect another article awaits.

Good running.