Re: P19 Spinnaker

Carol Gula (cgula@innet.com)
Sat, 5 Dec 1998 15:47:24 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hi John and Terrie:
you asked:
>Is anyone out there flying a spinnaker on their P19? If so please provide
>some editorial comments to the group. Pro's? Con's? Rigging set up?
>Cautions? Stories of adventure?

I use a masthead assymetric spinnaker (gennaker) on Kelpie.

Pros:
The boat really moves out with a wind angle of 170º to 60º.

Cons: You have to jibe the boat to get the sail from port to starboard tack
(or vice versa), and you can't see ahead very well when its filled and
drawing. Also, dead downwind is hard to manage.

Rigging: Single swivel block at masthead (I have a fractional headstay and
thus no interference) for the halyard, down to a cleat on the mast. The
tack line comes down to a block alongside the anchor roller (shared mounting
bolt) and thence back to the cockpit to a camcleat fiting similar to one on
the mainsheet. The sheets come all the way aft to turning blocks mounted
just forward of the transom, and then back to camcleats conveniently located
for the helmsperson.

Set up: I pull the tack line and the working sheet in close, and then hoist
right out of the bag. (tie bag to pulpit first) Need to hoist fast if wind
above 10 kts. Then ease sheet to fill sail, then adjust tack line for best
performance.

Cautions and horror stories: During a race last spring, we got hit by a 20+
gust with the gennaker set and crew out of position to ease sheet. Despite
full rudder, boat slowly rounded up until sail collapsed. Heel never
exceeded 30º. When sail collapsed, foot went in water.
Pulled sail out of water and fell off on proper course and it filled right
away. That's about all the adventure I can come up with.

I strongly recommend this sail.
Hope this helps,
Mac Davis, Kelpie, WP#804, Aripeka, FL>>