HOW TO ... hoist an a-symmetric spinnaker

Trust, and take the leap of faith!

Hoisting the spinnaker is the point of no return. It’s like a leap of faith. It requires trust and optimism. Trust that you have rigged it all correctly. And optimism, that this enormous piece of sail cloth will fill smoothly.

You are not alone in feeling like it’s a ‘big’ moment.

The irony, as with anything, is that the beginner is likely to meticulously check, double check, triple check their set up and follow the plan to a T and have a seamless hoist. Whereas the ‘experienced’ sailor might cut corners and rush the hoist and have to deal with the consequences.

Don’t worry if this doesn’t go super smoothly. Spinnakers have lots of long lines that like to get snagged on things and sneak their way into naughty places. They are big and lightweight, and like long hair in the wind, no matter how much you neatly pack them away they still can end up in knots.

In other words, you haven’t ‘failed’ if you don’t get this right. Just keep persevering. Aim to do this so many times that you can hold the whole process more lightly. It never, ever, goes right every time. Even for the pros!

My amateur crew in the Caribbean 600 recently realised that. We must have hoisted the spinnaker at least 20 times in the race. And we probably had a 50% success rate. But with the right set up, and the ability to drop it effectively, it never really matters if it’s not a good story.

If you find yourself laughing at the times that this didn’t work out, you are on the right track.

So, read on to find out how to get this mammoth sail flying. And then, wait one more week to read the ‘how to drop’ guide, before you get going.