When to use the Spinnaker

The Season has started again and I am back at the helm with the Barman crewing!

To start the 2010 Season, here's a few lessons learned about today's 'Can Race' at Wivenhoe Sailing Club.

The spinnaker on the Topper Xenon is both a race winner and race looser. Depending on your level of experience it could go either way but I reckon if you can use it you should and there is no other way of getting experience than trying it out.

Today's race adventure started as we headed south down the Colne and I got the Barman to put the spinnaker up. Yes we had it rigged right for once and it went up really well. I now realise we were on a bit too much of a reach to control it and we overpowered. This is when the fun started and the Barman was hanging on the side of the boat with me thinking yikes where is the safety boat....

Can Race at Wivenhoe Sailing Club
At Wivenhoe SC, this means you have to go round every buoy on the course, and with today's wind we went up to Rat Island opposite Brightlingsea - a long course.

Lessons Learned for Spinnaker

• The Topper Xenon's spinnaker is huge so if the winds aren't light and you are not on a broad reach it is going to overpower you.
• Don't put it up if it is blowing F4-5 (just yet anyhow!).
• If you are starting to loose it, get over the side asap and on that centre board (easier for the crew!).
• If your crew goes in the water and you are left onboard try to..
• drop the spinnaker
• point to wind
• lower the centre board fully
• furl the jib
• haul in spinnaker
• haul in crew
• avoid ditching as it will be a nightmare righting it with the spinnaker in the water and the wind.
• Keep your eye on the more experienced crews to see what they are doing.

Today's Weather 

The wind speed above is average wind speed and represents an average of F4. 

Dinghy Racing - Long Distance Race

We had the long distance dinghy race last weekend; the Barman my usual crew was not able to make it due to work commitments but his very experienced father volunteered to replace him; Father of the Barman now known as FB.

I thought it was going to be a walk-over but 4 other boats did eventually enter into the long-distance dinghy race. End result we came 3rd and that includes with the handicap. The 2 boats we left way way back were a Wivenhoe One and a Mirror.

What was slightly disappointing was the margin by which we were beaten by another Wivenhoe One and a pesky Laser. We did expect to do much better and were slightly disappointed. FB did have some good sailing tips. The issue we have is that there is very little knowledge within the club about how to sail a boat like the Topper Xenon.

Being the observant helmsman and having had a few crew on board, I have noticed a couple of things where the manual differs (see http://zambezishark.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-sail-topper-xenon.html) from the habits of experienced crew used to sailing other types of boat.

These are (when going upwind)

• tension tight on jib
• lots tension on cunningham

I also notice that there are a number of opinions as to where the telltales should go. Some say both fly horizontally across, others having the inside flicking upwards (as per http://zambezishark.blogspot.com/2009/07/where-should-telltails-go.html)

We were a new team and areas that we could have improved were around handling of the spinnaker. We struggled at times and perhaps should have borne away from a straight run to build up speed on more of a reach angle. This will come with practice I am sure. What is not certain either is whether the jib should furl when the spinnaker is up? Marketing pictures from Topper all show it up - I'll have to check some more neutral snaps but I reckon the jib can stay up.

Finally disappointing as it was, there are a whole host of other reasons why we did not do as well...

• other helmsman was a previous national champion on Enterprises (apparently)
• there is a tidal channel through the course of River Colne which I don't know very well yet
• we grounded on the mud
• my first season
• luck

Anyway if there are other sailors of Topper Xenons please add your top tips in the comments section below.

Trapeze required for Xenon

I have being mulling over how we came to capsize the Xenon and how we could have avoided it - thoughts are with me still because I am only just loosing the stiffness and bruises I developed last Sunday.

Given that from the weather station records it was blowing F5/F6, and we, without a care in the World, popped the spinnaker up on a dinghy, I think we were pushing it. It was a very gentle blow over and it makes me think that we might have been able to avoid it if The Bar Man, my loyal crewman, had had a harness for the trapeze kit.

If anyone knows of one going, let me know!

2x Races 1x Weekend

This weekend, with much anticipation, the Zambezi Shark was entered into her first race. To start the picture on the right is not us (but could be!).
Becalmed in the scorching sun we took 20 minutes to cross the start line. So far so good 'cos we were actually in front. However it appears I need to work harder on my tacking as a couple of those pesky little Laser boats got away when we reached this part of the course.

On the return leg we popped open the spinnaker for the first time and it was AWESOME - had we had another 1000 yards would have pipped those Lasers. We came 3rd out of about 8(?). My spinnaker is black btw.

Monday (today) we came 2nd but perhaps because of the effect of the previous day, the 4am feed of King Alfred and the drinking at the-night-before-BBQ I was a little knackered. No spinnaker this time as we were being overpowered by the main - my race buddy and I now want a harness for the trapeze.

During a long weekend, racing twice is a sure way to appear absent from the family; future weekends like this will need to require negotiation with the Wife,