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• Whilst broad reaching, as you now are, pick up the windward sheet
with your front hand and pull it in, so that as you bear off more to
initiate the gybe, the spinnaker is slightly hooked to windward at the
clew. It should still be filling normally and helping to speed the boat into
the gybe.
• Initiate the gybe, and cross over, pulling in the new spinnaker sheet as
you go, hopefully to fill the spinnaker on the new gybe without it barely
collapsing at all.
In time this is all possible as the geometry of the RS 700 makes it easier to
gybe than many other asymmetric boats.
• Fill the spinnaker normally and luff up slightly.
• Do not forget to pull the mainsheet back in again to reduce the lee helm
once sailing.
• Hook on and go out!
5.5 Hoisting the spinnaker.
Don't be too hasty to get the spinnaker up – it makes sense to have
familiarised yourself with the boat, especially downwind on the angles of
sailing that you would be hoisting or dropping the spinnaker. For the first trial
the wind should be no more than 10 –12 knots.
• Prior to leaving the shore you should ensure that the shock cord
halyard take-up is pre-tensioned, as it would be following a drop in
normal practice (see figure 5.1).
So when the moment comes to bear off onto a broad reach/training run with
plenty of room to leeward.
• Settle yourself, sitting/kneeling on the wing or sidedeck, with the
mainsheet eased so the boom is just off the shroud and the kicker is
eased.
• Ensure that the downhaul end of the halyard is uncleated; otherwise
you will not be able to hoist the spinnaker.
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