[C320-list] Asymmetrical Spinnaker Anchor Points

[Guy Smith]

 Hey Jeff!
I do not race my C320, however I have raced on other boats with Chutes and always wanted an Asym of my own.
I bought one 3 years ago and fly it from time to time, when we're headed mostly downwind for a significant amount of time and the apparent wind is less than 15 kts (the manufacture's recommended limit), although mostly in the 10-12 kts apparent range or less. It can take 10-15 minutes for me to rig it and then dowse it. 
I use soft shackles to attach the sheet turning blocks to the stern cleats. I use a soft shackle to attach the downhaul turning block to the anchor bail. The downhaul line is attached to an ATN Tacker that clips around the furled headstay. This requires you to furl the Jenny prior to completing the Asym setup, which slows you down for some amount of time, so the ATN is probably not for a racer. The other choice is to fly the Tack free above the Bow Pulpit. I cleat off the downhaul to a removable cleat on the upper cabin top track. For the most part, the downhaul is not messed with after the initial set. 
To deploy the Chute, the recommended practice (when cruising) is to take the wind to 120 degrees apparent on the starboard tack (due to the Spin Halyard exit location on the port side of the Masthead). I have rigged this system when I've been sailing solo by using my good friend Ato, the autopilot. Ato can be a little squirelly in light air at deep wind angles though. 
Dowsing the Chute is easy with the ATN by blowing the Chute Tack shackle on the ATN and then pulling the sock down.
I told Troy when he was interested in buying an Asym that I called it a divorce sail on a cruising boat. The Helmsman (my wife mostly in my case) needs to hold the wind angle at 120 apparent until the Chute is deployed and speed is adjusted by the bump that the chute will give you almost immediately in 10-15 kts apparent. Of course, the speed change will  change the apparent wind angle and the helmsman needs to adjust appropriately, quickly to hold the apparent wind angle. This can fluster the Helmsperson as the Chute fills with a POP and then collapses, and the boat rocks back and forth to the Masthead forces, accelerates then decelerates. It can be quite a stressful time, needless to say. I try to sheet the Chute in tight when I first deploy it so that I can fill it as slow as possible, for the life of the sail... and my relationship with the Helm... :)Also, in lighter air, expect the Chute to collapse and fill a lot when riding up and down waves and the wind speed varies slightly. Unless you want to be tending it constantly, choking the Chute somewhat will help stop that annoyance at the sacrifice of some speed. But if you're like me, it's ZEN to sit and trim the Chute in and out, watching the curl ride right on the brink of collapse. :)
I told Troy that it might have been better to buy a pole and rig to pole out the Jenny for downwind legs, in retrospect. 
Forgive me for all this bruhaha if you already know it...It helped a poor sailor who's still on the hard daydream about a day on the water... :)
Finishing up spring maintenance this weekend and then on the splash list next week!
Best regards,~g
Guy and Liz Smithsv Pleiades'97 C320 #452Worton Creek, MD
    On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 4:05:17 PM EDT, Jeff Smith <jeffreyssmith at live.com> 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