Hamble-based Dave Swete is one of the most in-demand professional sailors in the UK. He tells Andy Rice his five top tips for a safe and rapid spinnaker \u2018string drop\u2019 using modern takedown systems.Dinghies like the 505 have been using chutes to \u2018string drop\u2019 their spinnakers into the boat for decades. However, when specifically talking about the big boat spinnaker drop, the string drop wasn\u2019t seen until the latter days of the Version 5 IACC yachts, which last contested the America\u2019s Cup in Valencia 2007.
\nMany of those same America\u2019s Cup sailors and sailmakers continued to develop string drop techniques for grand prix racing classes like the TP52 and Maxi 72, and we increasingly see other, smaller boats adopting the technique.
\nDave Swete estimates he does about 500 string drops a year and reckons it\u2019s worth a lot of time around the race track, saving up to 30 seconds per leeward mark rounding. In light to medium airs, the very best string drop manoeuvres don\u2019t even begin until the boat is nearly ready to head up around the mark.
\nFor port roundings at top marks, a general rule is for the dropline to be on the port side of a gennaker for an \u2018inside gybing\u2019 boat and on the starboard side of a gennaker for an \u2018outside gybing\u2019 boat. The dropline should be led down the port side with enough \u2018tail\u2019 for it to allow for gybing.
\nChoreography
\nTo execute a good string drop, a lot of things need to happen quickly, and in the correct order.
\nAround one minute out from the mark the jib should be going up and the crew should be thinking about getting the boat ready for upwind sailing. Someone not involved in the physical side of the manoeuvre should be watching the mark and giving a clear countdown so everyone knows when to execute their role.
\nIt\u2019s critical the helmsman levels the boat and keeps the mast upright for the duration of the drop: this massively reduces the risk of the sail catching in the water.
\nA clear loud final call: \u201810 seconds to drop!\u2019 is imperative, with sheets, halyards, tacklines all being released in the correct order in the final two seconds.
\nWindward drop
\nProvided the boat is level and the steps take place at the correct times, this is a very safe manoeuvre.
\nBear away until the boat is flat (the jib starting to come to windward is a good indication you\u2019re at the right angle for a drop), release the sheet and tackline simultaneously while pulling the dropline on the \u2018two seconds\u2019 call and the kite will go up in the air, just floating.
\nIt\u2019s a bizarre sight watching the kite floating above you, with the real wind balanced out by the apparent wind across the deck meaning the sail just hangs there, ready to be sucked down the hatch.
\nWait until the dropline just starts going tight and then release the halyard (normally on the \u2018zero seconds\u2019 call). There should be very little resistance to get the kite away very quickly, and gravity will give you a helping hand.<\/p>\n
ROBERTISSIMA III. \u00a9Rolex\/Carlo Borlenghi
\nLeeward drop
\nTiming is much more critical on the leeward drop as there\u2019s a higher chance of the kite falling overboard to leeward. This is why it\u2019s vital the helmsman keeps the boat upright and steers the boat dead downwind, again watch for when the jib starts to want to cross the boat as a good indication that you\u2019re deep enough.
\nIt\u2019s also really important to release ropes in the right order. At the same time as the trimmer releases the sheet, the pitman releases the halyard and the kite is pulled in to leeward by the dropline. The tackline must be released last of all and only once the majority of the sail is safely down the hatch, because if any of the sail drops in the water and you\u2019ve released the tackline too early, you\u2019ll have to deal with a full-on boat-stopping trawl.
\nMax horsepower
\nOn boats up to about 40ft long, you can put your biggest, strongest sailor on the dropline and they should be able to manually haul the string line in by themselves. On boats 40ft and upwards you\u2019d usually have the dropline on a wheel linked through a pedestal and have strong grinders getting the sail below decks ASAP.
\nBoat conversion
\nRaceboats tend to prefer a single-patch system attached to the centre of the kite. But then raceboats are stripped out with minimal interiors and furniture, which enables a full run of the interior to get the kite down below.
\nIf you\u2019re keen to do string drops on a less race-oriented boat, but there\u2019s a bulkhead or something getting in the way, you can look at running a two-patch system on your kite, which will shorten the distance that the sail needs to be pulled below, before it becomes \u2018safe\u2019.
\nCheck that the sail will run smoothly and freely down the forehatch with no chance of snagging on a sharp edge. The ideal set-up is to have a roller bar or smooth radius on the aft end of the hatch for the sail to roll around. The smaller the boat and the lower the loads, the easier it should be to execute a string drop. The manoeuvre works nicely on all race boats up to the Maxi 72s \u2013 beyond that, the size and the loads become a limiting factor.<\/p>\n
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The post Spinnaker drop techniques: top tips for \u2018string drops\u2019 appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hamble-based Dave Swete is one of the most in-demand professional sailors in the UK. He tells Andy Rice his five top tips for a safe and rapid spinnaker \u2018string drop\u2019 using modern takedown systems.Dinghies like the 505 have been using … <\/p>\n