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Submitted
on March 11, 2002 by Denys Allain
Question: Hello, I just bought
a used C&C 30. It's currently ready to sail a spinnaker, it has the pole
and all the rigging, however, it only has a small gennaker. I was wondering
if it's better to buy an asymmetrical spinnaker or a symmetrical spinnaker.
I do some club racing in around 12 knots of wind. It's not a windward-
leeward course since the race is around navigational marks. Also, I'd
like durability before all-out speed.
Thank you, Denys Allain
Answer: Hi Denys, The factors to consider when you are choosing between a symmetrical and asymetrical spinnaker are:
- Ease of handling
- Straight line speed and
- How the race rating rule in your area treats the asymmetrical sail.
In general, the designs of asymmetrical spinnakers, including Gennakers like the North G-2 and G-3 models, have improved a great deal in the last 5 years. In most wind conditions an asymmetrical sail will be a little faster and a little more forgiving to trimming, than a symmetrical sail. You can set the asymmetrical sail with its tack on the end of the pole for racing or flying from a tack line run to your bow or anchor roller when you are sailing shorthanded and don't want to deal with the pole.
Gybing the asymmetrical sail and the pole is more difficult than gybing with a symmetrical spinnaker and pole. With the asymmetrical sail flown from a pole, you need to attach two sheets to the clew of the sail and two guys to the tack. In addition you will need a tack line run to the tack. When it is time to gybe, the pole is dropped off the old guy and the tack line is tensioned. Then the pole is gybed and attached to the new guy and the tack line is released. While the pole is being gybed, the clew of the sail must be pulled around the headstay by easing the old sheet and pulling on the new sheet.
Compare that process to gybing a symmetric sail, where the sail stays in essentially the same place and just the pole is switched to the new side. Gybing the asymmetric takes more practice.
Finally, you should check with your local PHRF or other rating committee to see if there are penalties for flying an asymmetrical spinnaker from a pole. Regards, Dan Neri
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