How to fix your spi setup within minutes !

Now we'll attach the 6 support lines to the pole

2 running from the midsction to the bridle chainplates
2 running from tip to bow
1 running from the snuffer ring to the bridle chainplate
1 running from the midsection to the bridle intersection (if you are not using a bridle strut)

First the 2 lines running from the midsection to the bridle chainplates.

These lines are attached to the pole by running the line through its own loop. See the next two pictures. Actuall ALL lines (and I trully means all of them; also the halyards) are attached to the pole like this.

Wouter

And again I'm missing a picture in the series so here is a close-up of the end result. Showing the lines that have been run through their own loops.

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Than well attach the other ends to the bridle wire tangs near to the bridle chainplates. Here we'll use a simple hitch knot with a figure 8 knot preventing the hitch from becoming undo by slipping.

See the next series of 4 pictures. Up till now these knot have stayed put. This is because these lines are always undertension and the hitch pulls itself tight making it impossible for the figure 8 knot to slip underneath the line and releasing the line. However with the pole pointing down like this it is very easy to rig these knots and also to untie them.

My idea when these knots proof not to hold is to replace these figure 8 knots with small beads and then I'm absolutely sure they will hold.

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Take note that the excess of line after the figure 8 knot is just so I have some margin to fine-tune my setup. After 1 season of tuning and sailing I'll have found to right setup and cut the excess line off. In short these ends have no purpose in the quick set-up system.

Wouter

This takes care of the midpole support lines : takes about 40 secs

Now to the tip support lines.

They are looped to the pole the same as the midpole support lines. So we'll get straight to attaching them to the bows.

See the picture series. I use 3 mm 500 KG low stretch dyneema (spectra ?) line and the holes in my bow are 5 mm large. The loops go throught the hole but I would seriously advice you'll use at least 6 mm holes when using this system with 3 mm lines. It makes running the loops through the holes alot easier. However don't make the holes too big or you'll pull the loop back through it despite the blockign line that has been run through the loop. I guess that 6 mm would be about right for 3 mm line and an 8 mm hole would be fine for 4 mm lines.

See the following picture series to see how it works. Note that it is not necessary to take the loops out of the bows when tuning this system to the right length. One just takes some line out of the loop to the piece of line that has a figure 8 knot in it. This is surprisingly easy. Of course the tension must be off the line to do that

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Now the line holding up the spi pole of the bridle strut can be fitted; The setup will then look something like this after some 100 seconds work.

By pulling up the pole towards the bridle intersection. all the support line are put under tension and the pole is prebent in its final shape and attitude.

See the next two pictures. This is another 20 seconds of work.

So in 120 seconds the pole and snuffer are fixed to the platform by a single person at the exact right attitude.

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The line stabilizing the snuffer ring is attached in the same way as the midsection support lines.

See picture

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The end of the pole and midsection look something like this now

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Note that my pole protrudes beyond the tack block. This is because I'm only using 3250 mm pole length out of the allowed 3500 mm for my Goodall spinnaker. This seems to be the best length for this spi. It makes it stand up a little bit more straight and with the high aspect ratio if the spinnaker I have alot of area high and therefor there isn't enough area under the F16 rules to bring the tack forward further. The bloody thing goes like a rocket downwind like this so I'm not certainly complaining here.

Actually I'm now using the excess 2540 mm under the F16 rules to put my weather vane on so that it is ahead of my spinnaker luff and the spi can't hang on it with snuffing it and I can still use it very while while spinnakering as well. It seems to be the ideal place for a weathervane as you are always looking at this general area anyway.

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Now to finish off the spi setup I take the Tack halyard line, that has a bowline loop at one end, and attach it to the pole at the midsection using the same "line through loop" system as all the other lines. Than I run it back to the double block near the meanbeam and then forward to the tack block on the spring.

Now I take the top halyard from the mast and run it through the other block at the mainbeam and via the other block at the free hanging double block I go to the cleat on the mainbeam. The end of this halyard I put through the turning block (or grommet) in the trampoline and I pull it trhought the snuffer sock using the line I place in there when I took the system apart.

I fit the (non permanently fixed) ratchetblocks as show in the attached 3 pictures

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There is trick to this as well.

After drying I store run a small line from the top patch through the other patches as one would do when fitting the retrieval line.

I pull this line tight so that the spi is folded as it would be by the snuffer. Than I tie the bead to the line so that the spinnaker stays this way. Then I fold it up and put it in its bag.

When preparing to sail I take the spi out of its back and let it infold while holing it at the little line that runs throught the patches. I now have something like a 2 mtr long cylinder of spi cloth laying in front of me or flapping in the wind mildly. How like this the spinnaker is very controllable as the wind has hardly any grip on the cloth.

Now with the other hand I grap either the leech or luff somewhere in the middle. The I flick my hand underneath it and grap the upper patch without any difficulty. With alot of wind I then step over my spinnaker and hold it between my legs while one hand pulls the retrieval line out of the snuffer sock and runs it through the patches to the other hand. Then I flick the cloth over so my other hand is now exposed and with two hands I run the retrieval through the bead and tie it off to the little line that is attached to the bead. The retrieval line is now fixed while the spi is still folded up in a very controllable way. Actually after the cloth is flipped back it is just right to be snuffed and that is just what I do next. I don't pull it in fully and leave the end hang out so that I can Attach to halyard and sheet without any effort or problems even in wind force 6.

This shouln't take more than 3 minutes when do singlehanded. A practized person should be able to do it in 2 min.

Wouter

Breakdown

-1- fitting the pole support lines = 100 sec
-2- tensioning and prebending the pole = 20 sec
-3- running the tack and top halyard lines = 40 sec.
-4- fitting the spi sail = 120 sec
-5- Fitting the ratchets = 20 sec
-6- running the sheet and attaching it and the halyards to the spi and double checking it = 60 sec tops

Total 360 seconds singlehanded = 6 minutes.

With the two of us we did it once in less than 3 minutes.

Anybody needing more than 10 minutes must really start modifying his setup or waste less time talking while rigging up the spinnaker.

Currently I leave my boat on the beach with the spinnaker pole attached and now I can rig my spi quicker than I can zipper my jib around the forestay.

I hope this helps everybody out there with a spinnaker setup and that has to trailer the boat to the lake and then back home.

Wouter