Life is Like Sailing - How To Pack a Spinnaker Sail

[@enerzise3161]

Wonderful lesson for people who are new to sailboats like us. It will be viewed at dinner by the family.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+enerZise Thank you and really glad you enjoyed the spinnaker videos! :)

[@denise2169]

Lovely video. I bet you wrap beautiful Christmas presents, too!

[@desmacmahon7582]

Thanks for that. Small and simple things like the bungee cords to either side make a world of difference. Great help.

[@ccbilly6678]

Hey Alfy, really enjoyed....that was fun to watch and the sound of the spinnaker crinkling away as you packed was great. Brought back memories of me wrestling away with one below in a C&C30 on a snotty snow-flak Sunday so many years ago. Hopefully we get out on the Bear soon and get a chance to pack mine. Cheers, Bill

[@lifeislikesailing]

+C&CBilly Hey Bill! Glad the video brought back those memories for you! Yes, let's get out soon for sure!!

[@SailingLolita]

Hey great video, a spinnaker has always been the sail I never pull out! You make it seem like no biggie. Thanks and keep up the great videos!

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Sailing Lolita Thanks! Glad you liked the video and hopefully you will try out your spinnaker now! :)

[@SVELFARO]

Thanks for the sail pack demo.Looks like its 8C and rainy up there, stay warm.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+elfaroproductions Glad you enjoyed the video and yes it is cool and rainy at the moment, but the heater is keeping things just fine down below! :)

[@SailLife]

Awesome video Alfy :) I did a great job at explaining how to pack a spinnaker in a very neat way :)

[@ozskipper]

+Sail Life Hopefully we will see you behind a kite on your trip across the Atlantic mate :)

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Sail Life Thanks Mads!! Keeping it simple makes it pack nicely. Too bad we never got a chance to fly the spinnaker when you were here though. :(

[@alansailing1387]

Thanks for that, i have a smaller kite and I put one clew under each side of me and sit on them until the kite is packed, the bag has a hoop around the top and it sits between my knees, pretty much the same procedure. When it is time to down the kite, I grab the sheet, let the brace go first, gathering in the foot of the kite until I it collapses and I have both clews in one hand and my arm around the kite just above the clews, we then let the rest of the sheet go then control the halyard as the kite is pulled in through the hatch. It works particularly well in heavy winds.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Alan B That sounds like a good system you have Alan! :)

[@hasansharaf2400]

Your videos are educational. Thank you. I learned a lot from them.

[@lifeislikesailing]

Thank you and so glad you enjoy them! :)

[@ga3ch]

Nice video and excellent teaching. Wow! I bet if you did that everyday it would be quite the exercise! Have a Merry Christmas.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+ga3ch Thank you and I am glad you found the video easy to understand! Sometimes I am not sure how the video will turn out. lol Sometimes the spinnaker needs to be packed several times during a race so it does get tiring! That is when I really appreciate my awesome crew! Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@Two-aboard-tuuli]

Cool technique for folding it in small spaces! I used to fold our old Gennaker always on the docks, in a similar way, keeping the clews and head clear. In German we literally say "belly" too for the inner part of the sail :)

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Two aboard Tuuli Glad you liked the technique! It is very simple in a small place and even with the boat heeled over it is still easy to do. Repacking it on the dock would be a nice luxury for sure, but in a race the spinnaker might need to be hoisted and doused several times so no choice but to pack it underway. haha Glad you understood the 'belly' reference too! :)

[@azoresmarine]

I always enjoy your videos, they are all very methodical, but I think you need to come to Florida and I will teach you how to work the pit in 102 F and 80% humidity. After 8 years I have developed some methods that gets me in and out of the furnace as fast as I can.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+azoresmarine Thanks and I would love to make a trip down and check out how you pack the sail in that kind of heat and humidity! :)

[@griphen2113]

very informative, thank you, this should make packing and unpacking the sail much easier, and more reliable.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Sean “SV Inopii” Thompson You are welcome and glad you found the video informative! :)

[@paulhanly1942]

Thanks. Very simple to follow. Very helpful. Hoisting the spinnaker (behind a jib when racing in say 15 knots)? Lowering the spinnaker (behind a jib when racing ins say 15 knots)?

[@lifeislikesailing]

Thank you and glad you like the video! Yes behind the headsail is better if you have crew that can manage it. :)

[@sallynewton2548]

You are just great! For the first time, after many youtube videos, I get it. The space I pack in is even smaller, but I'll give it a try San Francisco

[@lifeislikesailing]

Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you are able to figure out how to pack your spinnaker in the space that you have. You really don't need that much room so I'm sure you'll be fine with it. :)

[@skookumjack]

Great video Alfy! Seasons greetings and all that......... Maybe Santa will bring you a big snuffer sock for that kite! 🎅🎅🎅

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Jack Gates Glad you enjoyed the video Jack! A sock would be nice, but I have one for the genre at least! lol Seasons Greetings to you as well!

[@LoveShackBBQ]

Great info. Well done sir. It's videos like this one that some folks look for. How about a video that explains sail maintenance as well as lines. And what to look for in general. Or even with Rigging. Just a thought.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+KarbideMachinist Thank you and glad you enjoyed the video! A sail maintenance video is a good idea! I have a 'lines on the boat' video if you search back to my older videos. :)

[@garybezet3633]

I liked the video but I notice in another one I watched (they had the same bag) that they pulled the head through the hole left in the top of the back and secured it to the "handle" Seem like a good last step.

[@lifeislikesailing]

I'll have to check it out. :)

[@ozskipper]

Great video Alfy. You did it perfectly :-D

[@lifeislikesailing]

+ozskipper Thanks! Glad it all made sense! :)

[@michaelgoetz8064]

Just starting to crew on a larger boat so this was helpful. Yesterday it was gusting to 20 and the spinnaker came out twisted (it was in the same pile under the forward hatch from the previous week's dousing), fell into the water, and almost under the boat. Lots of high volume, salty language followed which I'd like to avoid next time . If a race course requires multiple spinnaker deployments, do you try to repack the spinnaker into the bag or try to sort it out and keep it loose in the stowage area for the next deployment? Even though the spinnaker is nearly symmetrical, we attach the tack to a bowsprit so once it's been determined which side of the boat the spinnaker will be sailed, should the bag be positioned such that the clew will be on the same side as the attaching spinnaker sheet? Many thanks

[@lifeislikesailing]

I repack the spinnaker after use overtime so that the deployment is always from the bag. and I deploy it from whatever side the spinnaker needs to be hoisted on. This can change depending on which way you are rounding the mark.

[@wilsnich02]

Always fun and interesting to watch.....

[@lifeislikesailing]

+wilsnich02 Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!

[@tombell8999]

Great vid. I must have watched 10-20 vids on spinnaker use and your series was the only one I have found that got the sail back in the bag! in all the others it was still on the cabin floor when it came time for tea..Thanks the whole series on spinnakers was first class. Quick question do you amend this process if it is wet?

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Tom Bell Thanks so much for the kind comment! Really glad you enjoyed the series! So if I am in a race and the spinnaker is wet I do the same process because it needs to be ready for another hoist. If the spinnaker has been packed wet for the last time then once I am back at the dock I take it out to dry properly then repack it again. :)

[@billbye1432]

isn't this the sail that you took for cleaning at North? thanks and Merry Christmas!

[@lifeislikesailing]

+bill bye Not this one Bill, I took my Genoa and Main in for annual maintenance since they get so much use. I only used the spinnaker once this season so I figured it didn't need to go in. :) Merry Christmas to you as well! :)

[@radbcc]

Very interesting and useful...

[@lifeislikesailing]

+radbcc Thanks and glad you liked it!

[@theislandpackrat]

Great on packing it, I have one Iv'e never taken out of the bag, it's in just a regular sail bag, Great on raising the sail but how do you do it single handed. I have no pole either so don't know what type spinnaker it is. There not cheap so hate to try it and rip it.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+theislandpackrat Maybe next time I am over your way we'll have to take the sail out and see what you have! I don't fly the spinnaker single handed, but I have flown the gennaker single handed. The gennaker is much simpler to use and the one I have has a sock to make it even easier. :) Would be nice to see what you have. :)

[@theislandpackrat]

It might be a gennaker because it isn't as big as yours.

[@lifeislikesailing]

theislandpackrat Probably is then. My gennaker is also smaller than the spinnaker. :)

[@chrisjustiniano2254]

Thanks for a great video, Alfy! It is very informative. Do you fly it when your solo sailing? Also, by not folding it before putting it in the bag, will that reduce its life? Hope all is well and your ready for winter. Can't wait to see your Christmas Lights! S/V Soleil

[@lifeislikesailing]

+justice tek Thanks and glad you enjoyed the video!! I don't fly the spinnaker single handed, but I have flown the gennaker single handed. The gennaker even has a sock which makes it quite easy. Hope all is well with you also!! There might just be a Christmas light video soon! :)

[@lifeislikesailing]

+justice tek Oh and I don't think stuffing the sail into the bag verses folding it does any damage to it. It is a very light material. :)

[@passmeby9398]

Perfect! Thanks

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Pass Me By Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!

[@elliotroussel8005]

Elliot here . loved the spinnaker packing video hopefully I will be doing the same within a year I am finally moving to the Puget Sound phase 1 road trip with 2 vehicles during week of Christmas started a channel LIVING THE DREAM not very good yet but working on it TANKS ELLIOT

[@lifeislikesailing]

+elliot roussel Hey Elliot! Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you get to do the same soon! I will check out your channel! Alfy

[@The6zero4]

Would you consider using a sock?

[@lifeislikesailing]

I have a sock for my gennaker, but prefer no sock for the spinnaker.

[@NathanH172]

How's the life so far? I'm looking into getting started as a liveaboard this summer.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+NathanH172 Life as a liveaboard is great! That is nice you are thinking of doing the same! :)

[@NathanH172]

+LifeisLikeSailing - Vancouver, BC I've been wanting to for years. Seeing that you arn't to far from me and you're enjoying it is a huge confidence booster. I'm in Vancouver,Wa btw.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+NathanH172 I also wanted to try living aboard for years and finally got the chance nearly 2 years ago now! No regrets! Nice you aren't too far and I have heard that there is a "Vancouver" in Washington! I'll have to check it out one day! :)

[@NathanH172]

+LifeisLikeSailing - Vancouver, BC If you ever come down to Vancouver,Wa hit me up I know some good spots.

[@lifeislikesailing]

I will for sure! Thanks!!

[@ocxb]

I don't have a spanky but it's nice to know how to do it if I crew for someone I can now help get it packed properly.

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Kurt Leisenfelder Glad you found the video informative and I hope it will help with getting a spinnaker packed nicely for you next time you crew for someone! I know that skippers appreciate someone crewing for them that has some knowledge regarding these types of things! :)

[@elliotroussel6309]

thanks alfy

[@lifeislikesailing]

+Elliot Roussel You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! :)