notice my block to the gennaker clew isn't attached to the shroud chainplate ; this is the proper setup.All people ( even none sailors) in life fall generally into two catagories: Luffers or Chokers. The F16 gennaker should NEVER be luffed (Wouter please write this into the class rules), in response to design limit exceeding gusts ! A luffing gennaker is more unstable (Bethwaite) than an overtrimmed gennaker ! The F16 gennaker must be choked hard in response to big gusts or big gusts in combination w/ rough seas, than driven gently lower until cohereence returns. A kite with a chain plate mounted clew block cannot be choked... While i'm writing about the gennaker , at one regatta I recall revelling at rounding the windward mark ahead (damn rare) of Poulsen.As we approached the next mark full on W.F.O under kites I doused (brilliantly) and set up for a longish shy beam reach.Suddenly, from below, Doc blasted past me , wiring with his gennaker still set!Over the next 1/2 mile Eric pinched , footed and (blah), luffed a 100 yard advantage that I could never close... My point is that the gennaker is a lethal damn weapon and mastery reaching w/ the kite means you're neveer out of a race so long as the wind blows from astern.It doesn't hurt to be a little crazy too (sorry doc)!
