TO SET A SPINNAKER ON THE BOW8PRIT.—Bend on the tack and halyards to leeward of jib and foresail ; hoist and then pull out by the outhaul ; trim the sheet; take in the jib, or let it run down by the head and stow and stop along the bowsprit.
To TAKE A SPINNAKER IN FROM THE BOWSPRIT.—Pass the weather sheet round the fore stay to leeward and make fast to the bitts; let go the outhaul, and haul the sail in-board smartly by the weather sheet and by the foot over the lee bow. In strong winds it will be sometimes necessary to let the sail fly in by cutting the tack adrift. In such cases the best plan, if there is only one sheet, is to bend a line to this sheet, with a running bight in it. Take this line forward, and haul the bight close up to the clew cringle of the sail. One hand will go out on the bowsprit and cut the tack (outhaul), which he will not allow to unreeve, and will bring the end in-board with him. As the sail flies aft, smartly haul it in-board by the line that has been bent round the sheet, and get hold of the foot as soon as possible ; gather the sail together, so that it cannot blow out whilst the foot is being hauled in-board ; when the foot is all in-board gather the sail together and lower by the halyards.
It should be clearly understood that the halyards must not be started until the foot is hauled in and the sail gathered together ; and, should the sail blow out, "spill" it by gathering the folds together, or it may take command and blow away, and perhaps at the same time pull someone overboard, or foul the lee crosstrees and be torn.
To Sinn A SPINNAKER Boom.—Man the topping lift and hoist away. Slack up the fore guy, ease up the after guy as required, and do not let the boom swing forward. When topped carry the after guy and whip forward, passing it outside runners and rigging. Top the boom until it is lifted clear out of the gooseneck; lower by the topping lift, whilst three or four hands take it by the heel and carry it aft on the side of the mast it has to be next used. When sufficiently low and far enough aft to admit the upper end passing under the fore stay, launch forward again and hoist away ; ship the gooseneck as before, and reeve the guys. Sometimes,
where the forehatch is near the mast, as in small vessels, the heel of the boom is lowered into the forecastle ; this, of course, is a simpler plan than launching the heel of the boom aft. If handled with care, the heel of the boom can be lowered over the side.
In small yachts which have spinnaker booms as long as the deck length is overall, the general practice is to top the boom a few feet and then let it swing forward. The boom is then unshipped and launched aft on the opposite side of the mast. When the fore end can be cleared of the forestay or foresail sheets, it is launched forward again, gooseneck re shipped, and guys made fast.
To SET A RINGTAIL.—In the first place, an iron hoop has to be fitted at the main boom end (similar to the upper cap at masthead) to take the boomkin. One hand must get on the main boom. Bend the main peak downhaul to the boomkin (generally called ringtail boom), and hoist it to the main boom ; steady it through the iron at the main boom end; cast off the peak downhaul ; reeve an outhaul through the sheave hole in the end of the boomkin, and launch the spar the required distance out; then lash the heel to the main boom. In reeving the outhaul, care must be taken that the hauling part only is outside the topping lift. The head of the ringtail is bent to a yard, with three or four spare feet for inner end. Bend the main peak downhaul to this yard for a halyard; bend both ends of the downhaul to the tack cringle (the clew cringle for the sheet will be in-board). Hoist the sail, then pull out to boomkin end by the under part of the downhaul, and sheet as required.
To take this sail in, the first thing to do is to haul it in by the sheet and inhaul whilst the outhaul is slacked up. Lower by the halyards as fast as the sail is gathered in. The boomkin will be got on board by aid of the peak downhaul.