Our biggest achilles heel when racing this past year was the downwind spinnaker leg. Let be take a step back; our biggest achilles heel was the lack of a full, consistent crew (specifically an experienced foredeck hand). Every turn around the windward can filled me with dread for I knew fluttering, hour-glassing, re-rigging chaos was sure to follow. Eventually, it got to the point that I would hand off the tiller and go forward myself to try and get the chute out cleanly only to look back and find that weeks thrown together crew looking with wide eyes at the pile of lines in the cockpit, unsure of what to put where or when to pull what.
I've had a vision. After fetching our windward mark and turning down, a gennaker smoothly unfurls and fills while the genoa silently furls in with no poles, guys, twings or topping lifts involved. It seems the whole modern race world works with code zeros and big drifting sails (didn't see any spinnakers in the volvo ocean race or on the ritzy racing machines on
Sailing Anarchy); does it make sense for an older racing boat like the J/30 to follow suit (at least as it concerns PHRF racing?)
I'm thinking speed gains and ability to stage a competitive racing season with 2 or 3 dedicated crew. I'm thinking of fabricating a 3' or 4' bowsprit and flying a socked a-spin or a gennaker on a furler. Does it make sense to fly it all the way to the masthead or stay at the headstay?
Just some early planning for next season...
