RS SAILING Venture S, Rigging Manual

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The gennaker halyard pulls the bowsprit out at the same time – when the gennaker is
hoisted, you are ready to go. The crew, or the helm if sailing singlehanded, should now pull
gently on the leeward gennaker sheet until the gennaker has filled. Gennakers may be
effectively used from a close reach to a broad reach so, to get downwind, one should
become adept at gybing. It is not possible to tack with the gennaker hoisted. For the best
effect, the gennaker sheet should always be eased as far as possible, so that the luff is just
on the point of curling.
Gybing with the gennaker is fairly straightforward. Like the jib, it should be pulled across at
the same time as the mainsail comes across. As soon as it has been pulled in and filled with
wind, it should again be immediately eased for maximum efficiency and speed
To drop the gennaker, reverse the procedure used to hoist. The boat should be sailing on a
broad reach, and the slack in the gennaker downhaul is pulled in from the left hand halyard
block As the gennaker downhaul goes tight, the gennaker halyard should be popped out of
the cleat. Then, pull the remainder of the gennaker downhaul through until the gennaker is
pulled sharply into the chute. Dropping the gennaker on tighter reaches is harder, and
requires more effort on the gennaker downhaul.
TOP TIP
Tie a rope bobble onto the gennaker halyard, about 10 cm from the bowline that is attached
to the head of the gennaker. This will make dropping the gennaker easier.
HINT
The gennaker can “bunch up” when entering the chute. This can be minimised by keeping
some tension on the gennaker sheet, preventing the clew from being sucked into the chute
with the main body of the gennaker.
When the gennaker is fully lowered, tidy the sheets and the halyard to keep the cockpit area
clear.
10.6 Using the Gennaker