SPINNAKERS AND HEADSAILS

Spinnakers should be provided with adequate dousers or it will be difficult to drop them in a squall when this needs to be done quickly. While there isn’t much to choose between well-cut spinnakers, some dousers are better than others. Ideally, as on the Parasailor, the collar should be rigid and not made of soft material. The douser collar should also have a wide enough mouth to snuff the spinnaker easily.

Various light weather sails, such as asymmetric spinnakers, code zeros, cruising chutes, gennakers etc, come with their own furling gear, and can be a useful addition to the sailing wardrobe, as they are relatively easy to set up and take down on a short-handed boat.