Spinnakers and Rigging

Southern Cross came with spinnaker car and track on the mast, spinnaker halyard and topping lift. There was no spinnaker pole, sails, foreguy or sheets. I wasn't sure if previous owners have ever flown a spinnaker on her.

Bowsprit

First step was to build a bowsprit for asymmetrical spinnaker. I used a 12' x 4" OD (0.125" thickness) aluminum tube from Industrial Metal Supply, large steel U-bolt on the front for tack line and an eye bolt on the inboard end. The inboard end is attached to the deck to an existing strong pad eye on the centerline, between the anchor locker and sail locker. The bowsprit goes through a 4" boom bail bolted down to the anchor roller structure.

The inboard attachment proved to be too weak for the load of large spinnakers, so I decided to use the anchor roller to attach the tack line block and do away with the bowsprit, until I can build a more robust attachment.

Spinnaker Rigging

For spinnaker running rigging I decided to use Novatech XLE lines.

• 3/8 Novatech XLE 100' for sheets, which are long enough for outside gybe of asymmetrical spinnaker
• 3/8 Novatech XLE 50' for guys
• 4 snatch blocks attached to the toe rail with shock cord to the lifelines to prevent them from scratching the deck and hull
• Stainless steel snap shackles
• Later I decided to add a dyneema extension to the sheets and guys
• Plastic shackle guards on the guys
• 2:1 purchase for the foreguy with Lewmar blocks. The top block is attached to the spinnaker pole with a snap shackle

Spinnaker Pole

At one point I decided to build a spinnaker pole for symmetrical spinnaker. The end fittings are Harken B121/80 - 32 mm Pole End Fitting — 80 mm Bell Pole End and B145/80 - 22, 27 mm Pole End Fitting — 80 mm Piston Pole End. The pole itself was made from 18' x 4" OD (0.125" thickness) aluminum tube from Industrial Metal Supply. I also installed deck fittings to hold the pole when stowed. The fittings were attached to the pole with 5 #10-25 screws tapped into the pole/fittings.

Deck Fitting - Piston End

Deck Fitting - Bell End

Piston End Fitting

Bell End Fitting

To make attaching the topping lift and foreguy easier I built a pair of 3/16" dyneema bridles with Brummel splices at the pole end and stainless thimbles for the snap shackles.

The bridles are semi-permanently attached to the pole (piston fitting) with luggage-tag loops and make it much easier to attach the inboard end of the pole and then connect the topping lift line and foreguy block with snap shackles to them, instead of trying to attach the snap shackles directly to the pole while the outboard end of the pole is extending beyond the bow.

Spinnaker Sheet J-Shackle (Tylaska)