The sheet on the windward side and the guy on the leeward side will be the lazy sheet and lazy guy. When the sail is set, the lines not under load are the lazy guy or sheet. The sheet is used to trim the sail as we adjust the pole with the guy. In either case, the guy connects to the sail, not the pole, and runs through the jaws of the pole. While the guy is a pole control, some boats use dedicated sheets and guys, while some use a single line that switches function between sheet and guy as the sail jibes from side to side. Spinnaker Controls and LinesĪ spinnaker connects the boat with a halyard at the head of the sail to hoist it, a sheet on the leeward side, and a guy on the windward side. In this article, we'll focus mainly on symmetrical spinnakers. Symmetrical sails aresailed deeper downwind with the poles, whereas asymmetrical spinnakers are better at reaching and sailing at higher angles, and are simpler to set and handle. The tack and leech of a symmetrical sail depends on which side the pole is on - the pole side is the tack. A symmetrical spinnaker has both sides the same length and requires a pole to position.

An asymmetrical spinnaker has a tack and a distinct leech. The symmetry refers to the length of the sides of the sails. Spinnaker come in two types: symmetrical and asymmetrical. There's a little more to it (of course), and each step has a few things to get right. You may have a few more lines, but the general process is: prep the spinnaker, connect the lines to the sail, hoist the pole on the windward side, then hoist and trim the sail. It seems daunting, but the principles of setting a symmetrical spinnaker are the same whether you're on a 420 dinghy or a fifty foot racer. Set the pole by putting the sheets and guys in the pole's jaws.Attach the halyard to the head, make sure it is outside the headstay.Run your spinnaker sheets and guys before attaching to tack and clew.Prepare the kite by finding the corner and making sure the sail isn't twisted.How do you rig, set up and hoist a spinnaker? Wouldn't it be nice to break that sail out of the bag for the ride back down wind? You're sailing upwind, and all around you colorful spinnakers fill and flutter as boats sail the other way.

Tack and clew