Hi Austin and Mitchell, excellent vlog; Mitchell's comment on having the snuffer line attached to a block on deck, I have found to be of the utmost importance. Here is one simple hack that I have used to that makes setting and striking a spinnaker with a sock easy and safe, even with just the two on aboard. Pass the loop of the continuous sock control line through a snatch block. You might say That’s it? Yup…well, there’s a bit more to know. And that’s reasonably easy in smooth water inshore. But offshore what happens is the boat rolls, and each time it does, to windward and back, the spinnaker pops out from behind the main, fills, and the sock control line loads up to the point that the person pulling it either: lets go ,loses all the skin off his or her hands, leaves the deck in a big hurry. We secure the spinnaker sock line down side after the block at a mark that will just keep it firm when the sail is hoisted but the sock still down. This stops the wind in the exposed foot of the spinnaker from pushing the sock mouth up before we are ready. Bear off to blanket and then hoist the spinnaker behind the mainsail while keeping the sheet firm, which does not cause problems because the sock is held down by the cleated down line. The sail is now well and truly under control behind the mainsail with the tack firmly attached forward, the halyard all the way up, the sock all the way down, and tensioned by the down side of the control line, and the clew pulled aft by the sheet, and so keeping the foot from twisting up. Then hoist and adjust, sheet, tack and course to proper angle.
Hi Austin and Mitchell, excellent vlog; Mitchell's comment on having the snuffer line attached to a block on deck, I have found to be of the utmost importance. Here is one simple hack that I have used to that makes setting and striking a spinnaker with a sock easy and safe, even with just the two on aboard. Pass the loop of the continuous sock control line through a snatch block. You might say That’s it? Yup…well, there’s a bit more to know. And that’s reasonably easy in smooth water inshore. But offshore what happens is the boat rolls, and each time it does, to windward and back, the spinnaker pops out from behind the main, fills, and the sock control line loads up to the point that the person pulling it either: lets go ,loses all the skin off his or her hands, leaves the deck in a big hurry. We secure the spinnaker sock line down side after the block at a mark that will just keep it firm when the sail is hoisted but the sock still down. This stops the wind in the exposed foot of the spinnaker from pushing the sock mouth up before we are ready. Bear off to blanket and then hoist the spinnaker behind the mainsail while keeping the sheet firm, which does not cause problems because the sock is held down by the cleated down line. The sail is now well and truly under control behind the mainsail with the tack firmly attached forward, the halyard all the way up, the sock all the way down, and tensioned by the down side of the control line, and the clew pulled aft by the sheet, and so keeping the foot from twisting up. Then hoist and adjust, sheet, tack and course to proper angle.