Connecting your spinnaker to the A.T.N. sleeve

1. Stick one hand thru the velcro opening at the top of the sleeve.

2. Work the sleeve up over your arm until your hand sticks out the bell (bottom).

3. Grab the head of the spinnaker- and pull the head through pushing the bunched up sleeve off your arm and over the spinnaker.

4. With the head of the spinnaker poking out thru the velcro opening, connect the swivel to the spinnaker head cringle. Tighten the pin securely and mouse it.

5. Secure the eye at the top of the sleeve to a fixed point such as the bow pulpit.

6. Pull out the leeches of the spinnaker, pulling the sleeve down over the spinnaker as you go.

Setting the cruising spinnaker to set: using a spinnaker sock :

Furl the Genoa & bring the Spinnaker up on the fore deck inside the sock.

Connect up the tack pennant through a fair lead or block at the bow. Lead the pennant aft to a cleat or winch. Snap or strap the tack to the headstay. Run the sheet, outboard of the shrouds, through the quarter block on what will be the lee side. Connect up the halliard and hoist the sock with the sail inside it. When fully hoisted check to make sure the sock isn't twisted and the sheet and pennant are lead clear.

Loop the spinnaker sock safety becket around the puller with some slack in it to a convenient point on
the foredeck near where you will be cleating off the sock puller. Bear off to a reach. Pull up the sock as you trim in the sheet. If the sock wants to hang up about 1/4 of the way aloft, pull the spinnaker foot tape down and clear of the sock until it is easy to raise the sock again. When the sock is all the way up, cleat off the puller to the mast and proceed loosely to trim the sail for the apparent wind angle.

To Jibe the cruising spinnaker: using the sock:

Pull down the sock; jibe the boat and steer off on the new reaching course. Pull the spinnaker sheet out of the block and carry it outside the shrouds & in front of the headstay around to the new lee side. Go forward and carry the sock around the front of the headstay to the new lee side. Relead the tack Pull the remaining sheet out of the block and holding the bitter end securely (it will be whipped around by the flogging sail) carry the end of the sheet forward, outside everything and around the headstay. As soon as the sheet tender has the sheet around the headstay the helmsman jibes over and maintains a very broad reach on the new tack while the sheet is lead through the quarter block on the new lee side and trimmed in. Once settled down on the new tack, go forward and relead the tack pennant so it won't chafe on the headstay. Jibing without the sock is much quicker to execute but it is possible to lose the bitter end of the sheet, especially if the helmsman doesn't maintain a broad reach both before and after the jibe. If the sheet is lost, pull the sock down over the chute and grab the sheet from the clew end then proceed with the jibe as in using the sock.

Taking down the cruising spinnaker to take down the cruising spinnaker using a spinnaker sock:

Pull the sock down over the spinnaker. If the sail is very full you may head off to a run so that the sail wants to collapse behind the Main to make it easier to start the sock down. Once the spinnaker is inside the sock, lower it onto the fore deck and stuff it into its bag securing the ends at the top of the bag for easy hook up next time.