So I have a fierce stupid question

Stheno

Yis can all laugh, but please remember I'm still learning.

It's about symetric spinnakers.

There is lots of talk about the guy.

WTF is the guy?

I get the spinnaker pole idea, one end goes into the spinny sheet, the other onto the mast, but don't get the guy?

Is the guy the little slot that goes into the sheet?

I know it's a stupid and silly question but I'd love to know

I've only ever dealt with cat kites or asymetrics

Steve

The 'guy' is the is the rope that attaches to the windward side of the spinnaker. In a lot of boats, it is becomes the 'sheet' when you gybe, typically when you do an end-for-end on the spinnaker pole.
In big boats they are sometimes separate ropes in which case you have a 'lazy sheet' and a 'lazy guy' which refers to the ones that are not being used.

In restrospect, that's a ****e explanation and would be a lot easier if I could point it out on an actual boat.

miss no stars

The pole goes between the mast and the guy. Not between the mast and sheet. The sheet is the spi sheet on the same side of the boat as the main.

When you gybe, the boom comes over and the side the pole is on gets changed. What was the sheet before the gybe is now the guy (now pole is attached to it) and the pre-gybe guy becomes the sheet.

The word 'guy' usually refers to a rope that's leading something into position (or preventing it going out if position) on a boat. The spinnaker guy leads the windward clew (bottom corner) of the spinnaker around in front of the forestay and into position.

Sheets are used to control how far 'in' the sail is. The spinnaker sheet is attached to the corner of the spi on the same side as the main. Letting it in and out controls how the sail fills.

Hopefully that makes some sense as to why the sheet and guy switch when you gybe.

It's quite comparable to a big puffy genoa, except that instead of the bottom being attached to a furler/shackle, there's a rope called a guy that brings it out the other side of the forestay.

Clear as mud, probably.

IreJohn

"The only silly Question, is the question you don't ask! "

the beer revolu

I know it's been already answered but to put it simply:

There is a rope attached to each bottom corner of the spinnaker. One is the sheet, the other is the guy. The spinnaker pole attaches onto the guy.

And, as mentioned, when you gybe, the old guy, becomes the new sheet and visa versa.

Stheno

So if I'm reading this right, whereas in asymetric world we have the clew and the tack, in symetric world we have the guy and the sheet?

Basically the "sheet" that is attached to the pole is the guy, and the other is the sheet?

Steve

Yup, that's correct.

On an A-sail, the sheet is always the sheet, the tack line is the equivalent of the guy. With a symmetric sail, they swap functions when you gybe.

The guy normally runs through a block on the rail near the mast whereas the sheet normally runs to a block near the back of the boat.

This is achieved by using either using a block on a rope that can pull the sheeting point down to the rail (when only 2 ropes are used) or there's also lazy sheets and guys (4 ropes used).



The terms used in that image are American, so, to translate into what's more common here:
Afterguy = Guy
Foreguy = downhaul
Topping lift = uphaul

ado100

Steve wrote: »

Yup, that's correct.

On an A-sail, the sheet is always the sheet, the tack line is the equivalent of the guy. With a symmetric sail, they swap functions when you gybe.

The guy normally runs through a block on the rail near the mast whereas the sheet normally runs to a block near the back of the boat.

This is achieved by using either using a block on a rope that can pull the sheeting point down to the rail (when only 2 ropes are used) or there's also lazy sheets and guys (4 ropes used).



The terms used in that image are American, so, to translate into what's more common here:
Afterguy = Guy
Foreguy = downhaul
Topping lift = uphaul

Beat me to it…

fergal.b

Beat me to it…

Steve

Ah now, petrolheads aren't immune to slaggage... :P

fergal.b

Cheeky Block






.