Oasis Sailing Club Racing Lite
Many of our members have an interest in learning the ins and outs of sailboat racing and advancing their skills with spinnaker and gennaker sail techniques. OASIS boats are entered in local regattas during the racing season, and monthly training is provided to interested members.
Racing Lite Schedule 2023.pdf
Racing-Lite-Schedule-2023WORLD SAILING – RACING RULES
Click here for the Racing Rules of Sailing
2021 – 2024
Club Member Gennaker Operating Procedure July 29, 2015
Rigging at Dock
Install jacklines on deck in a manner that will not foul the jib sheets and will enable clipping on a tether in the cockpit and allow full travel to the fore-deck. Run the lines outside the shrouds, inside the fairlead and under the jib sheet.
Place a block on the retainer loop of the anchor and run the tack line through the block and back to the starboard side of the cabin top through the guides. Use the jamb cleat on the starboard cabin top.
Lead the gennaker halyard aft to the cockpit through a block at the base of the mast and through the open sheeve on the port cabin top. The halyard can be fixed at the locking cleat on the mast.
Run the green trace gennaker sheet to starboard and the red trace gennaker sheet to port. The sheets run outside of the life lines and through a block at the aft end of the outer fairlead track. Place a slip knot directly behind the fairlead and a figure 8 at the bitter end to keep from pulling through. Attach the sheets to the forward most stantion on each side of the boat.
Decide which tack you will be sailing on and attach the sailbag to the life line on the leeward side. Port side for a starboard tack and starboard side for a port tack. Attach the halyard to the top of the sail and raise the gennaker to the top of the mast and raise the sock about 6′. Before attaching the halyard, make sure it is on the leeward side of the headstay and is not fouled by the spreaders, shrouds or sheets.
Check for any twists in the sail and check to see that the tack and clew are properly located. The tack should be forward and the clew aft. The clew has a blue line attached to easily identify it. Both tack and clew are labeled.
Attach the tack line to the tack with a bowline and the active sheet to the clew. Make sure they do not foul any other lines.
Lower the sock and start lowering the sail. Attach the tack and clew to the velcro strips inside the bag and feed the sail and sock into the bag making certain there are no twists. Attach the head to the third velcro strip.
Remove the halyard from the head and refasten to the mast.
Crew Size (4 minimum with 2 certified)
- 1 or 2 on the foredeck – One must be gennaker certified. Both must wear life vest and harness with tether.
- 1 Helmsman – Gennaker certified.
- 1 or 2 cockpit crew to handle lines.
Setting the Gennaker
Fall off to a broad reach (120o +/- as indicated by the relative wind indicator) and furl the genoa. As you do, pull the sheets to the base of the headstay and take a few wraps on the furling line. This will keep the sheets out of the way when using the gennaker.
Bring the halyard forward to the sail bag and attach to the head of the gennaker. Again make sure the halyard is on the proper side of the headstay and shrouds and does not foul the tack line or sheets.
Release the head, tack and clew from the sail bag velcro strips and pull on the tack line to pull the tack to the bow. Leave about 4′ of tack line out.
Hoist the Gennaker.
Raise the sock to the top of the mast to unfurl the gennaker and pull in the sheet to trim the sail. Attach the sock control lines to the cleat on the mast.
Ease out the tack line as necessary for proper trim. The further downwind you sail, the more tack line you need out. Trim the main and sheet for the desired point of sail and hold a steady course to keep the gennaker full.
A beam reach may prove to be the most comfortable point of sail.
Jibing the Gennaker
It is not recommended to jibe, but if you must, use the following procedure.
Uncleat the sock control line and lower the sock to douse the gennaker. Make sure it is on the proper side of the headstay. Ease the sheet and tack line as necessary.
Unhook the current sheet and attach it to the forward most stantion. Take the sock control lines and gennaker forward of the headstay to the other side, Unhook the other sheet from the stantion and attach to the clew.
Set the gennaker as noted above on the new tack.
Dousing the Gennaker
Uncleat the sock control lines and check to make sure they are on the proper side of the headstay and pull down the sock. Ease the sheet and tack as necessary.
Release the halyard and lower the gennaker. Ease the tack line and stuff the tack and clew into the sail bag and attach them to the velcro straps inside the bag. As you lower the sail, stuff it into the sail bag making sure there are no twists.
Attach the head to the velcro strap in the bag.
Unfasten the halyard from the head and fasten it to the mast. Leave the tack line and sheets attached to the sail until you are at the dock.
Video Library
Starting Strategies: The Port Tack Approach
Starting Strategies: The Full Speed Approach
Reaching Out and Reaching In