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. If sailing
singlehanded, the
mainsheet
should be trapped between the fingers and
tiller
extension, and
the helm should hold the
gennaker
sheet at all times.
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
. If possible, this should be avoided when
sailing singlehanded.
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.
4.6 - Using the
Gennaker