[C320-list] Asymmetrical Spinnaker Anchor Points

[Scott Thompson]

I have an asym from my previous boat that I do not use much. However in 
setting it up I attached blocks to the stern cleats. I bought three 
Harken blocks and made soft strop loops for them to attach to the stern 
cleats using a cow hitch. The strops do not scratch the cleats the way a 
metal shackle would and they are easily removed. The third block 
attaches to the bail on the anchor roller for the tackline. (I cleat the 
tackline to a bow cleat and do not try to adjust it while sailing.)

I worry a bit about the loads on the anchor roller if the wind pipes up. 
It's not designed for lifting or pulling the boat, after all. And that 
tack point is not ideal for keeping the sail drawing. Ideally the asym 
would attach to a bowsprit. I've thought about getting a Trogear sprit 
(see https://trogear.com/), which would keep the deck clean and not 
interfere with the opening of the anchor locker.  But until/unless I get 
a better spinnaker and can convince my wife that the two of us can fly 
it without getting into trouble I'm not going to bother with such an 
expensive upgrade. (I'd want to get a roller furler for the sail in that 
case too.)

I used to race on the Chesapeake on a J-105 and generally think that an 
asym spinnaker would be a good option for the Chesapeake, provided you 
have the hands to fly it. It's not for solo sailing in my view. The 
advantage of a roller furler would be during gybes, where I would roll 
it up and then unroll it on the new gybe rather than trying to pull the 
clew through inside the luff. (Outside gybes are technically possible 
but there is a high probability that you will end up with the lazy sheet 
under the boat in my experience.) You really need to sail angles with an 
asymmetrical, and can't sail dead downwind. Nor would you want to since 
the polars will be better at angles to the wind. That is, you will get 
downwind faster if you sail at angles to the wind. So there is a fair 
amount of gybing required.

Scott Thompson


On 4/9/2019 4:05 PM, Jeff Smith wrote:
> To all,
>
> I just installed my new sails (main and genoa) yesterday, and now it is time to think about an asymmetrical spinnaker. The very knowledgeable salesperson who helped me with the sails talked about an issue with mounting blocks on the stern for the spinnaker sheets. This leaves me to wonder, does anyone else have an asymmetrical set-up? If so, what did you use as your mounting point on the bow and on the stern? Also, for anyone on the Chesapeake Bay, any thoughts on using an asymmetrical spinnaker is also welcome. I reduced my genoa from 155% to 140%, in accordance with some discussions about balance, so I think the asym spin would help in those light winds.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Jeff
> ’94, #121

-- 
Scott Thompson
Surprise, #653