Flying the Kite

Flying the spinnaker only happens when you are certain (at least as certain as you can be) that the weather isn’t going to expose you to a scary situation. I am speaking of the very tricky maneuver of trying to get the kite down solo in winds that exceed your ability to slide the sock, a housing that contains it like a sausage, down over the sail bringing it to the deck.

It sounds like Gutek and I were playing the same game about a week ago, using our kites to get through the low pressure system (which is when I took the below photo).  Fortunately, I did not get caught with my pants down in a gale like he did.  I have had it happen, and it is truly frightening. You wonder whether you can contain the situation before the rig jumps out of the boat with the sail. In addition to that very unfortunate scenario, you know if one little piece of the sail hits the water while you are trying to contain it, a lot more sail is about to be dragged into the water and you will be trying to get it back on the boat for hours while parked and losing precious miles. 

Below is a photo of probably the largest unbranded spinnaker in all of pro sailing.  Let’s do something about that! Honestly, these beautiful Quantum sails are working their magic and there is a lot of space for logos. Cape Wind is our latest supporting sponsor and they have an eco-challenge out there to encourage additional sponsorship funds from both individuals and companies. Check it out online at www.oceanracing.org. 

Thanks for checking in,

Brad