Dip Pole Gybes - Chronological

Dip pole gybes using lazy sheets and guys - Chronological

This is a detailed description of the steps needed to complete a dip pole gybe on a boat in the 35 foot plus range.

This style of gybe would work well in six knots of apparent wind or more. If the spinnaker collapses during the "square back" step because the apparent wind speed drops too low for the sail to fly, a different style of gybe is needed. (See a future article on this subject.)

The information is available in two outline forms, this one, which is a chronological overview of the whole boat...essentially a managers view, and a second one, reorganized to the job-specific view showing what each task should be doing, in order. The jobs are divided up into tasks, not necessarily requiring a person dedicated to each task, but something which must be done.

If you haven't done so already, take a moment and establish some 'pre-determined marks' to help gybe the spinnaker pole. With no spinnaker up, rig the spinnaker pole to the car on the mast and the topping lift. We want to determine two things: (1) the height of the car on the mast and (2) the location on the toppinglift which will allow the spinnaker pole to dip behind the forestay and stay above the bow pulpit, so the foredeck person can easily reach the pole tip. A piece of white tape on both sides of the mast make good markers for the spinnaker pole car, and , for the topping lift, a large black band completely around the topping lift about 4 inches long and an alignment mark on the deck (in front of the winch).

An explanation of the graphics

"SET-UP"

This call comes from the driver.

DRIVER Call "set up for the gybe" loud enough for everyone to hear. Get an idea on what the heading is going to be on the new gybe. Watch how quickly the crew is getting ready. Are they covering all bases?

BOW PERSON Be sure you have enough lazy afterguy at your disposal. Double check that the lazy spinnaker sheet is OVER the top of the spinnaker pole, not hanging down outside the pole tip.

MAST PERSON Move spinnaker pole car up to the gybing position. This should be at a pre-determined mark.

TOPPING LIFT Place topping lift around winch, and if there is a sheet stopper, be sure it is all the way open.

AFTERGUY Prepare the afterguy to be squared back (needs a handle).

LAZY SHEET Get the lazy sheet around a winch. It will need a handle soon too. Constantly watch to be sure the lazy sheet stays on top of the spinnaker pole.

FOREGUY Get somebody on the foreguy (it will need easing).

LAZY GUY Remove all wraps from the winch so the bow person can pull out the necessary slack.

SHEET Get ready to ease during the "square-back."

MAINSAIL Cleat the traveler on both sides to prevent the traveler car from banging into the end of the track. Get ready to ease the main sheet during the gybe.

"SQUARE BACK"

This call comes from the driver.

DRIVER Start the boat bearing off, usually before you ask for the square back, but after you are convinced the important bases are covered. Watch the spinnaker and the mast head windex, and the angle of heel. Keep the cockpit crew appraised of how the bear-off is going, like slowly, or move faster!

BOW PERSON Hold the lazy guy your favorite way to get it into the pole jaw properly. Watch the driver and angle of heel for clues as to when the "trip" call will come.

MAST Hold onto the trip line on the pole.

TOPPING LIFT Start easing the topping lift slightly (inches), and know where the pre-determined mark on the topping lift is for life-line and pulpit clearance for the spinnaker pole.

AFTERGUY Grind aft the afterguy, being careful not to collapse the spinnaker.

LAZY SHEET Trim aft the lazy sheet along with the afterguy. From now on the lazy sheet needs to be kept tight.

FOREGUY Ease the foreguy as the pole moves aft.

LAZY GUY Do nothing at this time.

SHEET Ease the sheet as the boat bears off, being careful not to collapse the spinnaker.

MAINSAIL Ease the mainsheet as the boat bears off.

"TRIP"

This call comes from the driver.

DRIVER The first time the boat heels to weather, call "TRIP!" loud enough for all the crew to hear. Keep the boat turning continuously through the gybe. DO NOT try to sail dead down wind while the gybe is completed. In light air the boat will not heel to weather, so call "TRIP" just before the boat is on a dead-down-wind heading.

BOW PERSON Focus on the incoming pole. Hold the lazy guy in two hands with about a foot of guy between them. Catch the jaws of the pole with this loop. Resist the urge to catch the pole with your hands.

MAST Trip open the pole jaw with the trip line, and swing the pole in towards the bow with the trip line. Look to be sure the pole jaw has really opened and the old afterguy has come out. Your next area of concern will be helping to get the topping lift back up by bouncing at the mast. Move in that direction.

TOPPING LIFT Look at the black mark on the topping lift and ease quickly to the proper location. Focus on the mark more than the pole. If the car on the mast is in the right place the pole will end up in the right place.

AFTERGUY As soon as the "trip" call is made, ease the afterguy about a foot. Leave it uncleated. It has no more bearing on this gybe. Find another job, like grinding on the new after guy.

LAZY SHEET As soon as the "trip" call is made, this has become the active sheet. The afterguy must go slack in order for the pole to fall out promptly. This is why the lazy sheet has been tensioned through out the square-back.

FOREGUY A big trim in will help get the pole moving in towards the foredeck.

LAZY GUY Keep waiting!

SHEET Fly the spinnaker, but don't ease the clew past the headstay

MAINSAIL Gybe the mainsail at the "trip" call. The main should be gybed as fast as possible. A slow gybe of the mainsail causes the spinnaker to try to fly in turbulent air for a longer time. This is a common cause of spinnaker collapse.

"MADE"

This call comes from the bow person.

[caption id="attachment_1645" align="alignright" width="251" caption="Made"][/caption]

DRIVER Swing the boat onto the new gybe, and hold a steady course. Pay ultimate attention to the apparent wind angle, and the direction the spinnaker wants to move towards. There are big gainers for not collapsing the sail! At this stage it is mostly up to you.

BOW PERSON When the new afterguy is in the pole jaws, and the jaws have closed, call "MADE!" loud enough for everyone on the boat to hear. The entire crew's actions are at a standstill until the "made" call is announced. It comes from YOU. Hold the pole until the afterguy pulls the pole away. This will prevent a slack afterguy from looping over the end of the pole.

MAST After the "made!" call, repeat the call while looking aft. Wait for tension in the afterguy, then help pull up the topping lift by bouncing it at the mast. Watch the outboard end of the pole...do not let it poke straight at the sail, which will be a problem if the topping lift is pulled up too fast, before the new afterguy is trimmed in.

TOPPING LIFT After the "made!" call, pull up the topping lift. Watch the outboard end of the pole...do not let it poke straight into the sail. Tearing the foot out of the spinnaker is not a successful conclusion to a gybe.

OLD AFTERGUY This line has no function and needs no attention.

NEW SHEET Keep the spinnaker full. If the square back went well this should be a one person job for a while. If you need help call for a grinder.

FOREGUY Watch the pole and prevent the tip from "skying"...going too high.

NEW AFTERGUY No more waiting now!. As soon as the "made" call comes through, grind the pole aft FAST!. This is typically a two person job.

OLD SHEET Hold on to the old sheet while the afterguy is trimmed aft. Sometimes the old sheet needs to be eased in order to square the pole to the proper position. Do not let the clew of the sail get past the headstay.

MAINSAIL As long as the mainsail has gone across, look around for someone who needs help...most likely the new spinnaker sheet trimmer, who may need a grinder.

DONE

It is not clear when the gybe is all done!

DRIVER Line the boat up on the new course. Watch the sail and the apparent wind angle...don't gybe back! Nobody is ready! If the air is light, push the boat up onto a reach right away to build up the boat speed again. Keep talking to the spinnaker trimmers so they know what you are going to do next.

BOW PERSON As soon as the pole is made and you know the new afterguy is cleanly in the jaw you are all done in the bow. Move your weight aft and look for people who need assistance. First choice: help get the topping lift up, and the spinnaker pole car back down to its normal position. If the lazy spinnaker sheet is on top the pole (it typically is at the end of a gybe), pull out the slack and wrap the sheet around the afterguy to prevent the sheet from falling off the top of the pole.

MAST Move the inboard end of the spinnaker pole car back to its normal sailing position.

TOPPING LIFT Trim the topping lift to the proper height for the current conditions.

NEW SHEET Back in the saddle again...if the sheet doesn't need to be trimmed in, try easing it until the spinnaker luffs. Be sure you have a grinder.

NEW AFTERGUY Trim the afterguy to the current apparent wind angle. Help get the spinnaker pole set to the right height.

FOREGUY Firm up the foreguy when the pole is in it's proper position.

OLD SHEET
This is the perfect time to be sure the lazy sheet is over the top of the spinnaker pole. It usually ends up on top at the end of a gybe. Wind the lazy sheet around the guy to prevent the sheet from falling off the top of the pole.

MAINSAIL Trim for the new apparent wind angle.

Dip Pole Gybes - Explanation of Graphics

Explanation of the graphics used in the dip pole gybe articles.

The following left hand graphic labels the control lines and the spinnaker pole, using the "SET UP" stage. The spinnaker sheets are led aft, close to the transom, while the afterguys are led to middle of the boat, near the hulls widest point. Control lines which are taut are shown in red, and also as straight lines. Control lines which are slack, also known as "lazy," are shown in green, and as curved lines. The second example is at the "TRIP" stage.

Through out this example, the wind direction blows steadily from the left hand side of the page towards the right hand side. We start out on port pole and gybe over onto starboard pole.

Notice (a) the turning of the boat and (b) the movement of the spinnaker from the port side of the boat over to the starboard side. This is initiated in the square back step with the easing of the spinnaker sheet and the grinding aft of the pole.

Dip Pole Gybes Using Lazy Sheets and Guys sorted chronologically

Dip Pole Gybes Using Lazy Sheets and Guys sorted by task

Spinnaker Rigging

[caption id="attachment_1617" align="alignleft" width="360" caption="Spinnaker Rigging"][/caption]

The Headboard

This is the headboard on a Santa Cruz 52 mainsail. In real life it is 8.25 inches across the top edge. There are two aluminum plates rivited through the head of the sail.

Since this is a fairly large boat, notice that there are two small cheek blocks bloted onto the headboard. These are used to route the leech cord across the head and down the luff. The cleats for the leech cord are at the cunningham and reef tack rings. With this arrangement, when you tighten or loosen the cunningham, you also are tightening or loosening the leech cord at the same time.

The Gooseneck

These photos from a Santa Cruz 52, show how Buzz Ballenger (Ballenger Spars, Santa Cruz, CA.) routes the cunningham on a fairly big boat right through the reinforcement for the gooseneck so the cunningham helps hold the cunningham ring forward. Not visible, just below the bottom of the frame is a 5:1 block and tackle. The red and green lines just above the gooseneck are the reef tack lines for the slab or jiffy reefing system.

Winning with Green Buffalo

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First Post

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The difference is no Illusion

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What do world caliber sailors dream about:  winning races, setting records and …maybe even cruising.

Stan and Sally Honey race on some of the most state-of-the-art racing sailboats ever built.  They win major events.  They set records.  And they race – and cruise – their own boat, a Cal 40, Illusion.

Sally was a sailmaker for many years, owning and operating The Spinnaker Shop and building quality racing and cruising sails.  So when she and Stan wanted a new jib for Illusion they knew exactly what they wanted:  a working jib that even has slab reefing with a zipper closure.  And they knew that they could rely on Pineapple Sails to match their demands.  The result: a special, versatile jib designed to perform, both racing and cruising.

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A Victory Takes Shape

[caption id="attachment_722" align="alignleft" width="275" caption="photo: John Riise, Latitude 38 Ad for Dec 2003"][/caption]

A silkye, according to Irish folklore, is a shape shifter - a seal that changes to human form to befriend us and even protect us.

Silkye, Steve Seal and John and Rina Skinner's WylieCat 30, placed first for the year in Handicap Division K and went on to beat the other division winners in the Yankee Cup, HDA’s ‘champion of champions’ finale.

A catboat's one and only sail must shift it's shape to meet every condition, windy and light and everything in between.  It must work upwind and down. The original Pineapple mainsail kept Silkye racing and cruising successfully for six years from 1997 through 2002.  The new Pineapple sail and the owners' years of competitive sailing gave them the edge in 2003.

Let us change the shape of your boat's performance. Sail orders placed by December 31 qualify for a 10% discount.

A (Mid) Winters Tale

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Ad for April 2002"][/caption]

This past winter sailboat racers had it all:  windy days and light, cold days and warm, rainy days and dry.

The Antrim 27 sport boat fleet designed their own winter series, the Antrim Winter Cup, adding October’s Great Pumpkin Regatta and last month’s Big Daddy Regatta to the four monthly races of the Berkeley Midwinters.

The series was won by Always Friday - John, Ellen and David Liebenberg’s Antrim - fully powered by two-year-old Pineapple Sails.

The Antrim class was also won by a Pineapple Powered boat in Encinal Yacht Club's Jack Frost Series - Laraine McKinnon and Steve Rienhart's Cascade.

Sport boats demand expert sail development.  All boats deserve it.  Pineapple Sails is committed to it.  Give us a call.