How To Do a Mexican Takedown Also Called the Kiwi Drop

[@xiangyangchen8706]

very good， thanks

[@kryssbow-sr3hz]

I'm Australian, Kiwi is slang here for New Zealand. Most of us living on the East coast with NZ to the South East it's likely a similar geographical reference. My skipper jokes it's called a Kiwi drop because if you stuff it up NZ is where the boat ends up 😂

[@SteveDennison-u7h]

we just used to call it 'a windward drop' often praticed for when it it would be useful

[@G.Shaver]

This is a "gybe douse". Re the name "Mexican", I had always understood it was from the Newport to Ensenada race. For decades, the finish line was at the entrance to Ensenada harbor*, and if you didn't douse and gybe ~immediately~, you often had an unpleasant windward return exactly when you wanted to be DONE already. So, the gybe-douse maneuver was widely associated to that locale. (* changed to closer to The Coral now)

[@atakd]

How does this not foul the kite on the spreaders?

[@UK-Sailmakers-International]

Make sure your spread tips are taped or have boots on their tips. After doing scores of these drops over the years, I have never had a spinnaker caught on the spreaders. The most common poor result is when you try to button hook the mark. The spinnaker does not start down early enough resulting in the boat trying to sail upwind with most of the spinnaker still up -- which is slow!

[@G.Shaver]

This is an "all or nothing" maneuver - no hesitation, no "taking it slow". Pit pre-flakes the halyard so it 100% goes out clean and fast. As the boat turns, the moment the main covers the kite, the clutch is opened and the sail crashes to the foredeck like a falling curtain. Spin' should never get near the spreaders.