Thank you that clears up a lot of things for the gennaker, I have an Asymmetrical spinnaker sitting in the locker for my Irwin 32. I will give it a try this spring.
this fella down at the marina seen me and my dog sitting in out sloop, and he asked me, "Sir, do you know how to sail that thing?" I said" Nope. I aint got a Clew!"
Excellent. That was very useful and clear. I have had a Gennaker sitting in a bag in my boat for the last three years. I put it up once in very light winds just to check how it all went together. I was very unsure about how to best attach the tack. The prow of my boat (and the pullpit rails) are almost the same shape as those on Moonshine - quite pointy. You have given me a brilliant demonstration of how I can set up an (adjustable) line to the tack and where to put the pulley. Thanks.
I have mine a fixed length roughly the same as the genoa so it clears the rails when tacking. I also use the same sheets as the genoa as I use a soft shackle so I can transfer over easily. Only use it in light wind but they do look great when up. I don't have a sock on mine though so have to be quick in getting it up & deployed.
That gennaker sure would have been easier to gybe with about 10 knots of apparent wind! I run mine pretty much the same way, with the ability to tighten the luff if needed. I've done races where I ran it while on a deep reach, then had to harden up to a close reach and really pull the gennaker in tight, both at the tack and clew, sailing it more like a genoa (didn't have time to switch sails because the finish line was only a half mile away from where we hardened up). Some people like to do an inside gybe with these sails but I've found the outside gybe poses less of a chance for a wrap around the forestay (which you nearly had in the video). Also, for asymmetrical sails, once it's up and flying, work the sheet out until the luff curls inward a bit, then tighten up the sheet a bit just enough to take the curl out. While racing in light air, this will need to be done more often and is best done by one crew who's not driving the boat. I love my sock and sometimes will leave the jib up but deploy the sock under and outside the jib or genoa, then hoist the sock and trim the gennaker/asym a bit before furling the jib/genoa out of the way. I can also deploy it from the gennaker bag which clips onto the lifeline, keeping the sail from being all over the deck while trying to hoist it!
I used a genacker on a 40' cat. It made a sailing day out of a nonsailing day. Surprised how for up it would point. It sailed juslike a Genoa. On another day we managed to tear it when it caught a spreader. Tearing such a beautiful sail made us feel awful. Like accidently running over a kitten! The good news though was it tore in a perfectly straight line. A 3/4" ribbon the length of the leech. So we just re-hemmed it and it was back up next trip out.
HEllo, thanx for the video! I am jut about to get a genakker. One question: is it possible to leave the genakker in place with the sock down, for example if we take it down just for a short time. Can the sock+sail be streched enough not to wable around?
I have never left the gennaker up with it still in the sock, but that might be possible if you pull it back towards the mast and secure it there? On the upwind I like to keep the foredeck as clear as I can and lowering the sock only takes moment.
Another thing that might help you keep sailing well into the golden years is electric winches and consider apprenticing a new agile sailor. They will be excited to learn and crew is always helpful. Plus it keeps sailing alive for the next generation of sailors.
Great tutorial! Thank you for all the hard work you put in to make this. It was very informative and we learned some tips to use with our Gennaker next time we go out!
Thank you. I am always intimidated to sail a spinnaker single handed but the gennaker I think I could handle. Even when I have non sailors on board its sometimes better to know how to single it as its safer to keep the inexperienced off the foredeck. Great job and I feel like I learned something even though I have done it many times with a crew. I do like slipping the sail into the forward hatch just to clear the deck. Look forward to watching more videos.
Great video. I'm on coronavirus lockdown - temporarily in Cherbourg, France, progressively making rigging improvements to my Albin Comfort 30 (1978) - an old girl but sturdy and with almost an entire new rigging apart from boom and mast. I've just added a bowsprit to take the tack of the gennaker a nice long way forward - then I thought I'd also make a snuffer (sock) improvement - the loop rope that is used to raise and lower the snuffer is now two ropes, both of which are taken through pulley blocks near the end of the bowsprit all the way back to the cockpit. This means I don't have to leave the cockpit to open or snuff the sail. Halyard is back to the cockpit, too. We went into coronavirus lockdown here (I'm isolated solo on the boat for 12 weeks due to medical conditions) so I've not tried this at sea yet, but it works well when I've tried it in port (with hardly any wind and a loose sheet, of course! Great videos. Loved the symmetrical spinnaker one too - I've been flying those with crew for years but you've given me the confidence to try that single-handed as well (when the French authorities eventually let us out to play!)
So I have a gennaker for my Bruce Robert's 34. I have never used it because I mostly solo sail and people I bring out sailing don't know much about them either. I beleive the previous owner just connected the tack of the gennaker to a connection point on the anchor mount on the pulpit. What is your tack line hooked up with?
I just love your tutorials!!! You'll turn me into a sailor yet! On another note, I just got thru watching the old videos on Mads' trip to Vancouver. Talk about UA-cam GOLD!!! I would LOVE to see y'all do more stuff together..... You guys are my HEROES! :-D
Thanks for this simple explanation. And you proof that it really needs no bowsprit at all, which saves a lot of money! I will try my new asymmetric spinnaker in the Med this spring. Thanks again from Austria.
I didn't quite understand, does gennaker jibe like a jib, with the clew attached, or like a spinnaker, with the clew and tack switching places, or like a jib, but turning inside out on each jibe, so that the clew goes all the way around the forestay and to another side of the boat?
Nice tutorial. I just flew my genaker for the first time yesterday. And I did it solo. I had a bit more wind than you did, 10-15, and a fantastic ride. I did sail wing and wing for a bit and tried to hit as many points of sail as I could. I was surprised how high I could point with it. I’m going to have fun with this sail. This was also my first over night solo trip since getting my boat last December. Love your channel.
Thank you! Very helpful and well done, I can see much more cl arly how to take advantage of the Gennaker. I have only flown a spinnaker with a crew, and at that time I followed the directions of the very experienced sailors onboard. I am wondering if it is necessary to have an extension at the bow, to locate the tack further away from the forestay? Thank you again, and well done!
It looks like the tack line is rigged inboard of the headsail tack, so when you gybe the sail passes through the foretriangle between the forestay and the mast, as opposed to rigging the tack line outside the forestay and gybing it outside the forestay?
with the gennikers shape, do you use the tack line in-lieu of the halyard tension for adjusting the luff, as it looks like the halyard just sets the head position at the top of the mast?, as on jib and genoa you use halyard tension with the tack locked down to the bow, and the main works similar, with the cunningham hole as an extra adjustment, but still using the halyard for luff adjustment.
You can pole the tack on cruising chute and swing it out on the windward side to get more downwind. I run mine dead down wind and it hold well, just adjust the tack line out as you guy the pole around.
Great video Allie. I liked seeing it in light air because then the jibe happens slower and you get a better sense of how it all works. Love the adjustable line for the tack!
wouldn't the sock ropes prevent you from dousing the spinnaker when it is on the other side of the forestay from where it was originally hosted? You would have to take those ropes around the forestay too.
Nice! I'm thinking of adding a Gennaker next year but will install a bowsprit or something similar first to avoid the problem with it fighting with the forestay. It "should" fix that problem as well as give it some more freedom over all :) Looked like an awesome day, thanks for the video :) Regards Rasmus Mattsson
I know you made/uploaded this a few years ago, but what an excellent video! Very clear with what you would talk about, then very clear demonstration of what you spoke about! well done.
So I'm a BC sailor too but my boat is way smaller and a poorer upwind sailor, if you had to pick either a spinnaker or gennaker, which would you choose? 😃✌🏻
I prefer the spinnaker over the gennaker, but he gennaker is a simpler set up and easier to use. The spinnaker is more effective - that is the trade off. ha
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it. I have done videos on sail maintenance, folding, etc. Just look through the previously posted videos and you should be able to find them easily. :)
Looks like fun. I should look into getting a small lake sailboat? Where I live, we have the wind, but we really don't have the body of water. Plus, our lakes are fairly shallow, so with our wind we can get pretty massive close together waves, which might be scary on small boat.
nice video, it all went well, but one question, is it better for beginners to these sails to have a furler on the gennaker, as it might be safer to gybe and retrieve under stronger winds, than a loose sail?
I’ve discovered that in heavier winds, say 15-20 kts, pulling the sock down can be hard. But if you head further downwind, the gennaker gets blanketed by the main. Then it is much easier to pull it down.
15-20kts exceeds what a lightweight nylon sail should be used in although if racing they seem to use them in any wind. Normally use mine when less than 10 and will still fill out nicely.
Just bought a Sceptre 36 to start my sailing chapter on our coast. moored at Snug Cove. All my spinnaker experience is on a symmetrical spinnaker. Now have a Gennaker as well, so great to see your video on setup and sailing one. A big jump from Okanagan Lake to the big pond. Life is good.
Great job, as usual, Alfy. 👌 Bought a gennaker for my 27 two years ago; it’s still socked and bagged but that will change this spring! ⛵️ Just back last night from a week in Antigua and some enjoyable Hobie sailing - and lots of great fresh seafood. Sea temp was about 25C, air about 30. So much for “pretty warm” in PR, but it’s all relative.😎 Regards from Ottawa.
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you gennaker makes it out of the sock this season! Sounds like you just had a great trip at a warm location! I look forward to be sailing in warmer climates one day!
Love your videos! Everything shown in such a honest and humble way! I hit that subscribe button straight after the first one I ever came across! Thank you for the effort! You make it all look easy and self explanatory 😉💙🙏🏻 all the best to you Alfy and your beauty Moonshine ⛵️
Thx. Just got a Gennaker so your vid is a great refresher. I don’t want a full symmetrical ... I took a race course once and three noobs had to Gybe And flip the pole In the middle of the night in Gusty conditions with very little light. Any mistake and the sleeping skipper would come up and start yelling.. let alone the possibility of broaching. Anyways thx for the tips
Sounds like a skipper that shouldn't be teaching people how to sail, yelling is not acceptable on my boat. Too bad some people instructing others think it is acceptable?! The gennaker is a much simpler sail and even easier with the sock. :)
Alfy - great instructional video. I've been watching your videos for over a year and had planned on trying my best to approach the quality of what you do. I just returned from the Bahamas. I did do some filming but I DO realize how hard it is to film and sail at the same time and have nearly given up trying. You are clearly the winner. I guess it's still fun to make some videos and put them on my blog. Some of my readers say they enjoy watching them but, after watching yours, I realize how pathetic mine are. Anyway, thanks and keep doing what you do - THANKS1 Ron SV True Blue
There used to be a good spinnaker pole video by onthehelm.com on UA-cam. I can't seem to find a 4 or 5 part series. So much that can be done with a spinnaker pole, most sailors just can't grasp it all. The videos were most informative!
Another great film, never used a gennaker but would consider getting one before a spinnaker. Have you considered fitting a bowsprit to clear the sail beyond the pushpit and the windows in the spray hood look great.
Yes, gennakers are great and easy sails to use. A bowsprit would be nice with a gennaker, but I don't imagine I'd put one on my boat as I prefer to use a spinnaker. :) I'm very happy with the windows, thanks!
Nice. Would it be accurate that you wouldn't want to use a gennaker or a spinnaker with a sock if it's raining as packing it away would induce mold? And if you did, would you have to hang it out to dry?
I don't have a gennaker, so I really enjoyed watching that. The only thing that wasn't clear to me was how raising & dousing with the same line works, there must be a pulley somewhere that wasn't showed?
Glad you enjoyed it. :) Yes the line is attached to a tether at the outside of the metal ring and runs up the outside of the sock to a little block at the top then the line then runs down inside the sock to an attachment point at the base near the metal ring.
Good to see the differences between the two. I have only used the spiniker and have to be so precise when jibing single handed. Your weather is so nice. We have just gotten ride of our snow here in Kelowna and just above freezing. yuk
Thank you for the video. Being that you live in the Great White North... I was wondering what the coldest temperature was in which a sail can still function?
Glad you enjoyed it. I don't know what the coldest temp would be, but I imagine that if it was so cold that your sails couldn't function, prob would mean you shouldn't be out sailing at that moment. :)
I've been looking for a decent video on flying a gennaker for awhile. Thanks for sharing...I have been reluctant to use mine as I thought it would be too much effort while single handing. What strength winds do you use this sail in?
Very good job Alfy! I have never seen the genneker used and though I have heard of it I never really looked into it. But since I follow your videos you led me into it and certainly removed the mystery about it for me. So a hearty thank you!
I’m a bit late to the game and just came across this channel. Really like it and thanks very much for doing. With Covid I’m more anxious than ever to get out on my boat but will be a while yet as I’m in a full Canadian winter. Is there any reason not to raise and lower the gennaker at the dock to minimize time on the fore deck? And can the sock lines be brought back to the cockpit? Thanks and keep up the great and helpful videos.
Very informative, thank you. Im new and my boat came with a gennaker and sock but I haven't pulled it out yet. I assume that the line for raising the sock should be an integral part of the sock itself and not something that needs to be rigged from the mast?
Great that you have this sail on your boat and it is very easy to use. Yes the line for the sock is rigged into the sock and it pulls the ring at the bottom of the sock up and down (depending on which end of the line you are pulling a the time.
Thanks for the video. I have what I suspect is an asymmetrical spinnaker on my boat, I am eager to try it but don’t know much about these sails. Are a gennaker and asymmetrical spinnaker the same thing? I have the red and green tack / clew on my sail. I see you used the green as the tack. Does it matter which is the tack?
I've had success by sailing, just for the jibe, a course that is less deep e.g 130* and easing the sheet until the clew is just ahead to the head stay. Then jibe and blow the sheet and pull like crazy on the new sheet. The gennaker flows forward of the head stay onto the new tack. Then set your course.
Am I correct in understanding that the sail can only be dropped the same side as originally raised? At least that's how I remember it the onetime I tried it. Thanks
Thank you that clears up a lot of things for the gennaker, I have an Asymmetrical spinnaker sitting in the locker for my Irwin 32. I will give it a try this spring.
Nice, I hope you can try it out this season!
this fella down at the marina seen me and my dog sitting in out sloop, and he asked me, "Sir, do you know how to sail that thing?" I said" Nope. I aint got a Clew!"
Excellent. That was very useful and clear. I have had a Gennaker sitting in a bag in my boat for the last three years. I put it up once in very light winds just to check how it all went together. I was very unsure about how to best attach the tack. The prow of my boat (and the pullpit rails) are almost the same shape as those on Moonshine - quite pointy. You have given me a brilliant demonstration of how I can set up an (adjustable) line to the tack and where to put the pulley. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it and yes having that adjustable tack attachment makes it quite nice. :)
I have mine a fixed length roughly the same as the genoa so it clears the rails when tacking. I also use the same sheets as the genoa as I use a soft shackle so I can transfer over easily. Only use it in light wind but they do look great when up. I don't have a sock on mine though so have to be quick in getting it up & deployed.
That gennaker sure would have been easier to gybe with about 10 knots of apparent wind! I run mine pretty much the same way, with the ability to tighten the luff if needed. I've done races where I ran it while on a deep reach, then had to harden up to a close reach and really pull the gennaker in tight, both at the tack and clew, sailing it more like a genoa (didn't have time to switch sails because the finish line was only a half mile away from where we hardened up). Some people like to do an inside gybe with these sails but I've found the outside gybe poses less of a chance for a wrap around the forestay (which you nearly had in the video). Also, for asymmetrical sails, once it's up and flying, work the sheet out until the luff curls inward a bit, then tighten up the sheet a bit just enough to take the curl out. While racing in light air, this will need to be done more often and is best done by one crew who's not driving the boat. I love my sock and sometimes will leave the jib up but deploy the sock under and outside the jib or genoa, then hoist the sock and trim the gennaker/asym a bit before furling the jib/genoa out of the way. I can also deploy it from the gennaker bag which clips onto the lifeline, keeping the sail from being all over the deck while trying to hoist it!
I used a genacker on a 40' cat. It made a sailing day out of a nonsailing day.
Surprised how for up it would point. It sailed juslike a Genoa.
On another day we managed to tear it when it caught a spreader. Tearing such a beautiful sail made us feel awful. Like accidently running over a kitten! The good news though was it tore in a perfectly straight line. A 3/4" ribbon the length of the leech. So we just re-hemmed it and it was back up next trip out.
Yes, these sails point pretty well...but catching a spreader can hurt! Hopefully the repair went well!
HEllo, thanx for the video! I am jut about to get a genakker. One question: is it possible to leave the genakker in place with the sock down, for example if we take it down just for a short time. Can the sock+sail be streched enough not to wable around?
I have never left the gennaker up with it still in the sock, but that might be possible if you pull it back towards the mast and secure it there? On the upwind I like to keep the foredeck as clear as I can and lowering the sock only takes moment.
Really appreciate you doing something specially for the viewers. Thanks Alfy.
So glad you enjoyed this one!
Good to see a solo sailor using lifejacket and safety lines
Hi There,
We started sailing last summer and this video is well explained, filmed, and captures what we need to do.
well done Alfie.
Thank you and I am glad to hear that this episode helped. :)
Had wicked thoughts about selling my boat but this video change my mind , being 60 i was finding things heavy going but really want to try this .
Great to hear you are keeping your boat and going to try the gennaker!
If you give up what you love just because it's hard you aren't really living. Hope you stay out there 🙂✌🏻❤
Another thing that might help you keep sailing well into the golden years is electric winches and consider apprenticing a new agile sailor. They will be excited to learn and crew is always helpful. Plus it keeps sailing alive for the next generation of sailors.
I moved from a 38’ to a 24’ 1800 lb racer Light and fun.
Great tutorial! Thank you for all the hard work you put in to make this. It was very informative and we learned some tips to use with our Gennaker next time we go out!
Great tutorial Alfy, hope to use my gennaker for the first time this year. Seen to many horror videos in high winds so still cautious
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it. Try your out in light air and that will make it harder to have issues. :)
I bought a cruising chute today. Your video explains very clearly how to use it. Many thanks
Thank you so much for this video. It was very helpful⛵👍😊
You are welcome and glad you enjoyed it. :)
too cool ! thank you , your a great teacher ! ha.
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it!
Well done Alfy, very clear and concise tutorial. Another sunny day in Rupert! You're going to use them all up by May at this rate ! Ha!
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it! I hope I don't use up all the sunshine just yet. haha
Thank you. I am always intimidated to sail a spinnaker single handed but the gennaker I think I could handle. Even when I have non sailors on board its sometimes better to know how to single it as its safer to keep the inexperienced off the foredeck. Great job and I feel like I learned something even though I have done it many times with a crew. I do like slipping the sail into the forward hatch just to clear the deck. Look forward to watching more videos.
Great video. I'm on coronavirus lockdown - temporarily in Cherbourg, France, progressively making rigging improvements to my Albin Comfort 30 (1978) - an old girl but sturdy and with almost an entire new rigging apart from boom and mast. I've just added a bowsprit to take the tack of the gennaker a nice long way forward - then I thought I'd also make a snuffer (sock) improvement - the loop rope that is used to raise and lower the snuffer is now two ropes, both of which are taken through pulley blocks near the end of the bowsprit all the way back to the cockpit. This means I don't have to leave the cockpit to open or snuff the sail. Halyard is back to the cockpit, too. We went into coronavirus lockdown here (I'm isolated solo on the boat for 12 weeks due to medical conditions) so I've not tried this at sea yet, but it works well when I've tried it in port (with hardly any wind and a loose sheet, of course! Great videos. Loved the symmetrical spinnaker one too - I've been flying those with crew for years but you've given me the confidence to try that single-handed as well (when the French authorities eventually let us out to play!)
So I have a gennaker for my Bruce Robert's 34. I have never used it because I mostly solo sail and people I bring out sailing don't know much about them either. I beleive the previous owner just connected the tack of the gennaker to a connection point on the anchor mount on the pulpit. What is your tack line hooked up with?
Thank you! Beautifully demonstrated! Like I’m right there on the boat. 👍👍👍
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it!
cool thank you :)
Excellent. Very informative and you got an "artsy" shot in too!
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!
Cheers Alfie, great job. Enjoying your videos a lot.
Thank you and so glad you are enjoying the channel!
Hello Glenn here. Are you at the Atlin dock or the Yacht Club? I'm also in Rupert I have a North Sea 34 pilothouse, currently tied up in Port Edward.
I just love your tutorials!!! You'll turn me into a sailor yet! On another note, I just got thru watching the old videos on Mads' trip to Vancouver. Talk about UA-cam GOLD!!! I would LOVE to see y'all do more stuff together..... You guys are my HEROES! :-D
Thanks and so glad you enjoy the tutorial episodes! Yes that sure was fun trip with Mads and I hope we can collaborate again one day! :)
Thanks for this simple explanation. And you proof that it really needs no bowsprit at all, which saves a lot of money! I will try my new asymmetric spinnaker in the Med this spring. Thanks again from Austria.
Nice work.
Can the sheet go out side of the forestay or must it go inside when you jibe ?
Thanks! I run the sheet forward of the forestay to keep everything forward of it. :)
I didn't quite understand, does gennaker jibe like a jib, with the clew attached, or like a spinnaker, with the clew and tack switching places, or like a jib, but turning inside out on each jibe, so that the clew goes all the way around the forestay and to another side of the boat?
This is the way videos should be: clear and perfectly understandable. Very nice job....thank you!
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it!
Nice tutorial. I just flew my genaker for the first time yesterday. And I did it solo. I had a bit more wind than you did, 10-15, and a fantastic ride. I did sail wing and wing for a bit and tried to hit as many points of sail as I could. I was surprised how high I could point with it. I’m going to have fun with this sail. This was also my first over night solo trip since getting my boat last December. Love your channel.
Thank you and so great to hear you are trying out the gennaker! It is a great sail!
:)
cool .
Thank you! Very helpful and well done, I can see much more cl arly how to take advantage of the Gennaker. I have only flown a spinnaker with a crew, and at that time I followed the directions of the very experienced sailors onboard. I am wondering if it is necessary to have an extension at the bow, to locate the tack further away from the forestay?
Thank you again, and well done!
It looks like the tack line is rigged inboard of the headsail tack, so when you gybe the sail passes through the foretriangle between the forestay and the mast, as opposed to rigging the tack line outside the forestay and gybing it outside the forestay?
with the gennikers shape, do you use the tack line in-lieu of the halyard tension for adjusting the luff, as it looks like the halyard just sets the head position at the top of the mast?, as on jib and genoa you use halyard tension with the tack locked down to the bow, and the main works similar, with the cunningham hole as an extra adjustment, but still using the halyard for luff adjustment.
You can pole the tack on cruising chute and swing it out on the windward side to get more downwind. I run mine dead down wind and it hold well, just adjust the tack line out as you guy the pole around.
Great video Allie. I liked seeing it in light air because then the jibe happens slower and you get a better sense of how it all works. Love the adjustable line for the tack!
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it! Yes the adjustable tack is nice to have. :)
Love to see Moonshine sailing, great video Alfy. Hope this spring and summer to be full of your videos. Cheers!!!!
Thanks and I hope to get lots of sailing in this summer! :)
Excellent informative and easy to follow. Thank you. I have also found your other vids to be very useful.
Thank you enjoyed it and have found this and other episodes useful! :)
wouldn't the sock ropes prevent you from dousing the spinnaker when it is on the other side of the forestay from where it was originally hosted? You would have to take those ropes around the forestay too.
Nice!
I'm thinking of adding a Gennaker next year but will install a bowsprit or something similar first to avoid the problem with it fighting with the forestay. It "should" fix that problem as well as give it some more freedom over all :)
Looked like an awesome day, thanks for the video :)
Regards
Rasmus Mattsson
A bowsprit would be great! Glad you enjoyed this episode! :)
I know you made/uploaded this a few years ago, but what an excellent video! Very clear with what you would talk about, then very clear demonstration of what you spoke about! well done.
Thank you for your comment and so glad you enjoyed this one. :)
nice job, but why isn't the spinaccer attached to the outside of the pulpit?
So I'm a BC sailor too but my boat is way smaller and a poorer upwind sailor, if you had to pick either a spinnaker or gennaker, which would you choose? 😃✌🏻
I prefer the spinnaker over the gennaker, but he gennaker is a simpler set up and easier to use. The spinnaker is more effective - that is the trade off. ha
Great video, was good to see your technique. Have you done a video of your sail flaking and maintenance? Your boat always looks so well packed
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it. I have done videos on sail maintenance, folding, etc. Just look through the previously posted videos and you should be able to find them easily. :)
Looks like fun. I should look into getting a small lake sailboat? Where I live, we have the wind, but we really don't have the body of water. Plus, our lakes are fairly shallow, so with our wind we can get pretty massive close together waves, which might be scary on small boat.
I've never sailed on a lake, but I bet that would be fun in the right conditions. :)
nice video, it all went well, but one question, is it better for beginners to these sails to have a furler on the gennaker, as it might be safer to gybe and retrieve under stronger winds, than a loose sail?
I’ve discovered that in heavier winds, say 15-20 kts, pulling the sock down can be hard. But if you head further downwind, the gennaker gets blanketed by the main. Then it is much easier to pull it down.
15-20kts exceeds what a lightweight nylon sail should be used in although if racing they seem to use them in any wind. Normally use mine when less than 10 and will still fill out nicely.
Just bought a Sceptre 36 to start my sailing chapter on our coast. moored at Snug Cove. All my spinnaker experience is on a symmetrical spinnaker. Now have a Gennaker as well, so great to see your video on setup and sailing one. A big jump from Okanagan Lake to the big pond. Life is good.
Congrats on the purchase and Sung Cove is a great spot. So glad this episode helped and welcome to the BC Coast! :)
Great job, as usual, Alfy. 👌
Bought a gennaker for my 27 two years ago; it’s still socked and bagged but that will change this spring! ⛵️
Just back last night from a week in Antigua and some enjoyable Hobie sailing - and lots of great fresh seafood. Sea temp was about 25C, air about 30. So much for “pretty warm” in PR, but it’s all relative.😎
Regards from Ottawa.
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you gennaker makes it out of the sock this season! Sounds like you just had a great trip at a warm location! I look forward to be sailing in warmer climates one day!
Really great thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! :)
Love your videos! Everything shown in such a honest and humble way! I hit that subscribe button straight after the first one I ever came across! Thank you for the effort! You make it all look easy and self explanatory 😉💙🙏🏻 all the best to you Alfy and your beauty Moonshine ⛵️
Thank you and so glad you are enjoying the content that we always do our best to deliver in an honest and genuine way. :)
Thx. Just got a Gennaker so your vid is a great refresher. I don’t want a full symmetrical ... I took a race course once and three noobs had to Gybe And flip the pole In the middle of the night in Gusty conditions with very little light. Any mistake and the sleeping skipper would come up and start yelling.. let alone the possibility of broaching. Anyways thx for the tips
Sounds like a skipper that shouldn't be teaching people how to sail, yelling is not acceptable on my boat. Too bad some people instructing others think it is acceptable?! The gennaker is a much simpler sail and even easier with the sock. :)
Just a question....
I have this and it's a cruising shute.
More of a down wind to beam reach ?
Where a gennaca sail is flatter for up wind
more down wind or beam reach for this sail.
Thanks thumbs up from me👍
Thank you!!
Alfy - great instructional video. I've been watching your videos for over a year and had planned on trying my best to approach the quality of what you do. I just returned from the Bahamas. I did do some filming but I DO realize how hard it is to film and sail at the same time and have nearly given up trying. You are clearly the winner. I guess it's still fun to make some videos and put them on my blog. Some of my readers say they enjoy watching them but, after watching yours, I realize how pathetic mine are. Anyway, thanks and keep doing what you do - THANKS1
Ron
SV True Blue
Thank you Ron and must have been nice sailing down south. Yes the filming and editing is a lot of work and takes time for sure! Fair winds!
Excellent video! What company is the sailmaker of your Gennaker? Beautiful sail.
Thanks! I think it was made by North Sails.
There used to be a good spinnaker pole video by onthehelm.com on UA-cam. I can't seem to find a 4 or 5 part series. So much that can be done with a spinnaker pole, most sailors just can't grasp it all. The videos were most informative!
Nice to have videos out there to help explain these sails. :)
Another great film, never used a gennaker but would consider getting one before a spinnaker. Have you considered fitting a bowsprit to clear the sail beyond the pushpit and the windows in the spray hood look great.
Yes, gennakers are great and easy sails to use. A bowsprit would be nice with a gennaker, but I don't imagine I'd put one on my boat as I prefer to use a spinnaker. :) I'm very happy with the windows, thanks!
Thanks for the demo. Can I use a spinacker as a genacker?
Thanks for the video. I found it to be most helpful as I sail single handed and I'm about to try out a new Gennaker.
So glad you enjoyed this one! :)
Superb as usual and all this explaining and sail handling with video all on your own. Bravo Sire. Many thanks and best from HKG
Thank you and so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it is a bit of work doing everything when single handing the boat, but I still have fun. ha
Oh dear, here's another good video, again nothing to complain about
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks a lot for another great video. Thanks for the step by step demonstration how to set up a genacker
You are welcome and so glad you enjoyed it!
Nice. Would it be accurate that you wouldn't want to use a gennaker or a spinnaker with a sock if it's raining as packing it away would induce mold? And if you did, would you have to hang it out to dry?
I use the spinnaker and gennaker rain or shine. Just need to dry it out after use.
Nice video
Thank you. :)
I don't have a gennaker, so I really enjoyed watching that. The only thing that wasn't clear to me was how raising & dousing with the same line works, there must be a pulley somewhere that wasn't showed?
Glad you enjoyed it. :) Yes the line is attached to a tether at the outside of the metal ring and runs up the outside of the sock to a little block at the top then the line then runs down inside the sock to an attachment point at the base near the metal ring.
Good to see the differences between the two. I have only used the spiniker and have to be so precise when jibing single handed. Your weather is so nice. We have just gotten ride of our snow here in Kelowna and just above freezing. yuk
Glad you enjoyed seeing the differences and yes, this sail is much simpler and easier to use. I hope the rest of your snow melts away asap!
Thank you for the video. Being that you live in the Great White North... I was wondering what the coldest temperature was in which a sail can still function?
Glad you enjoyed it. I don't know what the coldest temp would be, but I imagine that if it was so cold that your sails couldn't function, prob would mean you shouldn't be out sailing at that moment. :)
Excellent video i am terrified of spinakers but this was awesome. I will give it a go thanks for giving me the confidence cheers.
Thanks and I hope you'll get a chance to try out this sail! If you do it in light air then not a whole lot can go wrong. :)
I've been looking for a decent video on flying a gennaker for awhile. Thanks for sharing...I have been reluctant to use mine as I thought it would be too much effort while single handing. What strength winds do you use this sail in?
Glad this episode helped then! I would probably take the sail down once the wind strength was over 15 knots.
Great videos, I like tutorial videos educational and entertaining! Thanks!
Thank you and so glad you enjoy the tutorial episodes. :)
Five star and a BIG thumbs up. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Alvi for the comparison of the two sails. You don't have a Code Zero to compare?
You are welcome and glad you enjoyed the comparison. No code zero.
Is the genacker the same as a drifter?
Im sorry for misspelling
Maybe that is the same, just a different word?
good job ty!
Thanks and so glad you enjoyed it!
im looking forward to your new vidios over the season. sheer delight to watch. good look from Ireland.
Thanks and stay tuned! :)
Very handy and I enjoyed the information, keep it up... Good job
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it. :)
Thank you for taking the time to explain this in such simple terms keep going!!!
You are welcome and glad you enjoyed it. :)
Do you what you like doing . It’s your journey . Not theirs !
I always do. :)
Thank you also for the "talk"!
Very good job Alfy! I have never seen the genneker used and though I have heard of it I never really looked into it. But since I follow your videos you led me into it and certainly removed the mystery about it for me. So a hearty thank you!
So glad I was able to reveal al the mysteries surrounding the gennaker! :)
I think that's a lot easer that a spinnaker! when by yourself.
Yes for sure!
Very informative, thank you
You are welcome and glad you enjoyed it. :)
I’m a bit late to the game and just came across this channel. Really like it and thanks very much for doing. With Covid I’m more anxious than ever to get out on my boat but will be a while yet as I’m in a full Canadian winter. Is there any reason not to raise and lower the gennaker at the dock to minimize time on the fore deck? And can the sock lines be brought back to the cockpit? Thanks and keep up the great and helpful videos.
you did a great job in a relaxed manner that made it easy to follow thanks
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it. :)
Dont talk much, just show it
have you upgraded to a furler yet?
Very informative, thank you. Im new and my boat came with a gennaker and sock but I haven't pulled it out yet. I assume that the line for raising the sock should be an integral part of the sock itself and not something that needs to be rigged from the mast?
Great that you have this sail on your boat and it is very easy to use. Yes the line for the sock is rigged into the sock and it pulls the ring at the bottom of the sock up and down (depending on which end of the line you are pulling a the time.
@@lifeislikesailing great, thanks for the info. I've been subbed for a couple years - keep up the great vids!
Watching this again, planning to hoist my gennaker with your assistance. Thanks. SV Brooklyn
Thank you for the effort you do put into your videos and your experience
You are welcome and glad you enjoyed it. :)
thanks. the video came out great!
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!
I trust your skills, I'd hire your to move my boat.
Thank you of that vote of confidence. :)
Thanks for the video. I have what I suspect is an asymmetrical spinnaker on my boat, I am eager to try it but don’t know much about these sails. Are a gennaker and asymmetrical spinnaker the same thing? I have the red and green tack / clew on my sail. I see you used the green as the tack. Does it matter which is the tack?
I've had success by sailing, just for the jibe, a course that is less deep e.g 130* and easing the sheet until the clew is just ahead to the head stay. Then jibe and blow the sheet and pull like crazy on the new sheet. The gennaker flows forward of the head stay onto the new tack. Then set your course.
Thanks, well done!
Am I correct in understanding that the sail can only be dropped the same side as originally raised? At least that's how I remember it the onetime I tried it.
Thanks
great stuff! Too bad the wind was a little low
Glad you enjoyed it and I wished the wind was a bit stronger as well!
Great job brother! Made that look super easy!
Thank you and well,,,, it is a pretty easy sail to use so I can't take all the credit. haha
Thanks buddy, that was nice.
You are welcome and thanks!