spinnaker paranoia

a rarely seen picture of our spinnaker - i wasn't on the boat

I have spinnaker paranoia. For those not familiar with a spinnaker it is the brightly colored sail you occasionally see on a sailboat, or in the case of our boat very rarely.

Or as wikipedia says "A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically

for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180°

off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is

deployed, called flying. It is constructed of very lightweight, usually nylon, fabric, and is

often brightly colored."

Most sails are white or gray but a spinnaker is the one sail that reflects the personality of the owner or in our case the first mate since ours for the Hanse is in cougar colors. Sam figured it was a good concession to make -he got the sailboat I got to pick the spinnaker colors. Problem is I hate flying the spinnaker - I think he was hoping if I chose the colors I would suddenly have the urge to see it fly. Sam's grand plan backfired - so far I have let him fly it twice and both times were under duress.

I am able to pinpoint exactly where my fear comes from - racing our Harbor 20 during duck dodges on Lake Union. Putting up the spinnaker happens under sail and when racing it has to be done in a quick fashion hence making for more drama then I need on a sailboat. The process usually consists of getting the spinnaker set up, rounding the mark, pulling down the jib and the somehow trying to hoist the spinnaker at the same time without hitting other boats, losing boat speed, or dropping it in the water. This is more of a challenge than I am up for since my idea of sailing includes relaxation and a good book all hard to enjoy during this process. Then once the spinnaker is up you constantly have to hold then lines to keep it flying and make adjustments. Just when it is flying nicely you no longer need it and the process of taking it down needs to happen - see above in reverse. Personally I would rather just come in 2nd or 3rd or even 4th.

Sam tries to convince me our spinnaker for the Hanse is much easier to fly but so far I am not buying it. I watched the America's cup races and saw the best sailors in the world blow up 2 in 1 race in addition to having challenges even getting it up in the first place - Sam definitely regrets asking me to watch that race with him. So for right now the spinnaker is taking up space in our storage locker, space I could quickly fill with plenty of other boating necessities. Sam tries to sell me on the fact we could get more speed but isn't that what a motor is for? So right now the spinnaker sits in our boat giving Sam hope and tormenting me. I would rather catch a glimpse of a spinnaker on another boat from afar knowing I am sitting on our boat enjoying a leisurely sail with my book and no spinnaker drama.