MacGregorSailors.com

Hello.
My name is Alfonso and I live in Spain. I'm sorry, but I don't speak english very well. My answer is: how do you use a geenaker?. A college give me a geenaker from a 24' and I don't know what can I do with it.
Thanks,

Alfonso

Alfonso,

I'm no expert on genaker's but since no one else has responded so far...

I believe you rig and fly one pretty much like an asymetrical spinnaker.

I think there are a few good videos on "spinnaker sailing"which could probably guide you through the rigging process as well. Perhaps some others here may have a recommendation of a book or video.

Personally, I'm waiting for the new sprit/spinnaker combination from Macgregor to hit dealers.

Alfonso,

I'm glad you asked this question. I too have a Mac 26X spinnaker I want to know how to sail. I'm used to spinnakers with poles. I'll be watching this thread.

Mark me down as a "watcher" of this thread too.

--Mike

Thanks for your answers.
My doubt is not how could I fly it. My problem is I dont know how could I install it without make a big renovation. Ive got a furler with a jib, and I thought fix the tack to the chainplate of the furler, with a long shackle. The halyard will be the halyard of the jib (the furler has its own halyard) and the sheet will be the genoa sheet, and Ill use the sheet traveller (Ive got 2 travellers, one for a jib and another one for a genoa). Do you think that its possible make it?
Greetings from Spain,

Alfonso

If you have a wing halyard, the tack from the jib is free, and a sheet, you have it made.

If your gennaker doesn't have a snuffer or has it's own furler (they make a special furler for Code 0's) then y'all might want to start planning your take down before you hoist it. They carry more than your normal amount of sail.

Hoisting is easy, recovering without a snuffer or furler requires finesse or acceptance that someone is going to be sleeping in a wet berth......

Most use a pendant at the tack. Install a block in the spare hole of the bow chainplate and run the pendant line from the tack, through the block and back to the cockpit. This will let you adjust the height of the tack. You most likely will want to get it above the pulpit. You can also use a fixed length pendant. Also using something to keep the tack on the center line helps as well. An ATN tacker is a great choice but there are simpler solution such as a line with beads. In the picture at the ATN link you can see the setup with the pendant line as well.

Hoist with the jib halyard.

You will most likely find that the sheeting angle is to small even with the cars all the way back at the aft end of the genoa track. Some have added longer track, some have even installed a second set of winches at the aft end of the cockpit. The cheater way to solve this problem is to lead the sheet through the hole in the aft cleats using them as a poor mans turning block. Then run the sheet forward from there to the cabintop winch. You could also attach a set of blocks at the cleats for a cleaner feed.

Hoisting is the easy part. Getting it down without a sock is the challenge. Turn the boat to blanket the sail with the main and collapse it and then have you bowperson gather quickly to keep it out of the water.

Wow,

Thanks for the feedback. My spinnaker was setup before I bought the boat with its own halyard. It has a fixed length pendant - just a piece of line. There is no way to jibe with a spinnaker setup as described. I'll just have to stay on course.

Mark

Actually you can jibe the spinnaker just fine with this setup. The key is how you route your sheets. The lazy sheet must go around in front of the forestay, not through the fore triangle. To jibe you turn down wind, release the working sheet, let the sail flow around the front of the boat ahead of the forestay as you bring in the lazy sheet. The spinnaker rolls around the front of the boat, it does not tack through the fore triangle. This works because the head of the sail is flying above and in front of the upper end of the headstay, and on the pendant the tack of the sail is also in front of the headstay just above the bow pulpit. You will need long sheets though as they have to run from the winch, to the aft cleat, then all the way forward around the forestay and then back to the sail tack where it is flying outboard. I would think somethiong between 50' and 60' of line per sheet is needed. You can't just tie on your normal genoa sheets.

thanks for your answers. I believe that I have understood
your explanations, but am going to teach it to a friend who speaks
better than I the English to assure to me that I do it well