Friday Feb 25 we headed out on the Bay of Biscay to practice sailing with the Code-D spinnaker. Winds were about 8kts true which made for a terrific time to test fly the new chute. Spinnaker was made by Durk Stiegenga from Performance Sails in Nova Scotia. The nominal measurements are luff 54', leech 49' and foot 29.3'. The mid girth ended up at 22.2' so in fact it would be legal under PHRF and other similar rules. The Code-D is about 100 square metres:
For the standing rigging we went with the Seldon CX25 Code furler and 13mm x 62' AT cable. It is rigged with an endless furling line and a double block cleat system that I can soft shackle mid ships near enough to the helm station so if we needed extra power to furl in the kite we could use the electric winch. This is a much nicer setup then the furling kit that FP provided with the bow sprit. The CX25 is even larger than the Karver system that came with the boat so we are pleased to have gone with the Selden CX25.
First time launching the new spin. I adjusted the leach line just after taking this video.
The Code-D for sailing in the European Atlantic and Mediterranean is a more versatile sail than a full spinnaker.
On Sunday Feb 27th we took 45North on a day trip over to the Ile d'Aix. It was upwind beat to the island and a perfect 100-120 degree angle spin run all the way back to La Rochelle. The kite performed well in the light winds powering us up to 5kts boat speed. I finally got a chance to film the un-furl.
Working closely with our sailmaker we selected the Selden CX25 top down furler system. It sets up nicely on the tack line off the bow sprit.
We picked up two Antal 56 blocks that swivel open so you can attach the continuous loop furler lines.
This setup included a tandem cam block for 12 mm line. This is a much better setup than the factory option as our furling lines are much longer so you do not need to be sitting on the trampoline to haul in the sail. In our case the lines are long enough to enable us to use the electric winch if needed in a windy situation.
Spin sheets come aft to the block, jammer and winch.
The clew on a 110 degree wind angle sheets just behind the shrouds. We tested the angle of range and we can close haul up to 60degrees which is the main advantage of the Code-D vs the Code-0 or an asymmetrical spin.
Thank you Durk Steigenga from Precision Sails in Blandford Nova Scotia CANADA for making us this great sail.
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