Barging is the most common foul that happens on the starting line, yet there is no “anti-barging” rule in the Racing Rules of Sailing. Barging is when an inside windward boat takes mark room at a starting mark. And why isn’t the boat entitled to room? That is clearly stated in the preamble to Part C of Section 2 of the rule book. It states, “Section C rules do not apply at a starting mark surrounded by navigable water or at its anchor line from the time boats are approaching them to start until they have passed them.” Therefore, rules 18 Mark Room and 19 Room to Pass an Obstruction, do not apply while approaching the starting line to start. The rule that does apply is that a windward boat must keep clear of a leeward boat. This video shows a great example barging. Watch the Beneteau 36.7 set-up above the boats on the layline at the starboard end of the line. The Beneteau proceeds to barge.

This spring, I created a doublehanded social distancing racing series so that sailboat racing could restart safely. An unforeseen result is that my long-time friend and crewmember Gerard Girstl and I found that we really like sailing my 40-footer doublehanded. Now we have to work on our boat-handling and sail-handling techniques to do it better . A month ago, we finished second in a 45-mile doublehanded race because we didn’t have a system to peel from the fractional Code Zero to a masthead spinnaker. As a result, we had to sail on a broad reach with our code zero for five miles, allowing our competition catch up. Last weekend, we practiced the code zero to spinnaker peel that Gerard had choreographed. Here’s our method. 1. Bring the new spinnaker bag on deck, attach the new sheets. 2. Not having a second tack line, the new spinnaker tack is attached to a strop around the base of the sprit. 3. The spinnaker is raised in Velcro stops. 4. To make it easier to gather the code zero, we have a retrieval line attached to the bail of the tack line shackle. That line is led through a snatch block attached to a fitting on the foredeck in front of the forward hatch, and then back to a winch in the cockpit. Being in the cockpit, I ease out the tackline and pull in the retrieval line until the code zero tack is at the block on the foredeck. 5. Now the code zero halyard is lowered, and the sail is stuffed down the hatch. 6. The tack line is unshackled from the code zero and transferred to the spinnaker. 7. The shackle on the strop is spiked 8. The track line is winched to bring the spinnaker tack to the end of the pole. 9. The boat is turned up to fill the sail. This maneuver took just over two minutes from start to finish. While not fast for a fully crewed team, it is much faster than a baldhead change. Pro tip #1: Had the code zero been set-up with a roller furler, we would have furled it, then before dropping it down the forward hatch. Pro tip #2: Transferring from the strop to the tack line could have been avoided if we had a second tackline, which we don’t.

The standard racing racing batten pocket closes with internal Velcro since it results in a smooth finish. This video shows how to use the internal Velcro pocket.

The tied-in batten pocket is the most secure method for keeping battens in their pockets. It is a must of serious offshore racing and cruising. This video shows how to use the pocket.

Jib Reaching With Outboard Leads by UK Sailmakers

UK Sailmakers explains how Top Down spinnaker furlers work.

How to do a Letterbox Spinnaker Takedown: the safest way to douse a spinnaker offshore.

Thanks to Covid 19’s requirement to sail socially distanced, I discovered the fun of doublehanding and singlehanding my boat. With a tall factional rig held up by running backstays, she is a handful for a crew of 11 at times. But by slowing down the maneuvers and planning out all steps, it can be done. Recently I was out daysailing and my wife and friends were too content to rig the spinnaker, but they were perfectly fine letting me do all the work. I welcomed the chance to practice, knowing that I had some back up help if I got into a mess. Getting the chute up and drawing was not an issue in 6-7 knots of wind. Jibing was another story. I learned quickly that the jibe function on the autopilot turned the boat way to quickly. Next I learned that one person can’t move the 180 sq/m asymmetrical around fast enough to pull off an inside jibe. Luckily, when I abandoned the jibe and turned back to my original course the spinnaker untangled. Then I re-led the sheet for an outside jibe. Next I relearned that in an outside jibe, you need to let the clew of the spinnaker blow out in front of the luff before pulling in on the new sheet of the you risk getting the new sheet stuck under the tack patch of the sail. On my fourth try, everything went smoothly. I got the old sheet ready to run, the new sheet on its which and then I tightened the new running back stay, which pulled the main in closer to center line without having to trim the mainsheet. With the main in, it is easier for the wind to blow the clew forward of the sail’s luff. Next, in steps, I eased the spinnaker sheet and turned the course control nob on the auto pilot to turn down. It took three different adjustments of the auto pilot to turn into the jibe, which gave the sail a chance to get blown in front of the boat and then over to the new leeward side. Lastly I let go the old running back stay, which let the main out and finished off the spinnaker trim. What a great sense of achievement once the jibe was completed and the boat got moving again. Practice, practice, practice.

Sail Care Tip: Extend the life of your sails by using the leech and foot lines to stop flutter.

Tips for proper pit procedures.

How to lead the staysail sheet when there is no place to attach a sheet block that gives proper leech tension.

This video shows how to do a “Late Main Gybe” with an asymmetrical spinnaker. Executing an effective Late Main Gybe is critical to winning races because the boat has to turn less to refill the chute...the jibe is faster...and you sail a shorter course. Delaying the boom’s crossing avoids the main blanketing the spinnaker as it is trying to re-fill. In a Late boom gybe, the helmsperson needs to stop the boat’s turn just beyond dead downwind. At this point the spinnaker is almost completely on the new leeward side and the boom is being held out to the old leeward side. The boat will be wing-on-wing for second before the turn is completed. If the boom comes across too soon, the boat will have to head up too much in order to get the wind in front of the main for the spinnaker to re-fill, which adds extra distance and more time with the chute not pulling.

The best way to pass boats when rounding a leeward mark to port is to do a Mexican takedown. The Mexican allows you to carry the spinnaker right into the rounding while also preventing the sail from falling into the water. You’ll be the inside right-of-way boat, entitled to mark room over boats doing leeward takedowns. Here’s how to do it: Going into the turn, the spinnaker is over trimmed pulling the foot right up to the deck. As the driver does the smooth left turn, this well-choreographed sailing ballet results in the spinnaker inverting and now laying on the new windward side of the jib. Here are the “steps:” 1. The bow team grabs the foot of the spinnaker as it collapses onto the windward side of the jib, 2. The pit person smokes the halyard, 3. As the sail slides down the jib onto the deck, the bow team gathers it in, 4. The pit person then blows the tack line, and 5. The sail gets stuffed down the forward hatch with at least three quarters of the sail on the deck before going upwind.

Best way to use a dousing sock for a cruising spinnaker

Setting up, hoisting, trimming, jibing and dousing the asymmetrical pole-less cruising spinnaker.

A safer way for dousing the cruising spinnaker.