>>What is the strongest windspeed you think it feasible to sail with spin?


You won't believe it but I think the spi can be sailed with control all the way up to where you would sail without one.
I'm talking doublehanding here, singlehanding tops off earlier simple because the hoist and drop are limiting you. Actually, and this may sound strange, but some 3 years now all the spinnaker boats (started with F18's) RATHER sail WITH a spinnaker in a blow than without. Mostly because the pitchpole is not as dominant with a spinnaker as when sailing without. Pretty much you get blown over sideways much sooner than you pitchpole, this means that you are steering the boat fully on keeping the luff hull just skimming the water. This balance point is encountered much sooner than any dive threshold. Ergo you feel more in control of the boat. Capsizes are of course easily handled by steering and working the traveller. Dive on the other hand are most "Hang on for dear life and hope she won't go over". From the crews prespective you are not constantly pinning yourself against the hull to withstand the dive decelleration that may hit at any time.

Trully I think exactly the same on the F16 under spi. I've sailed two distances race with it in 20-23 knots of wind, at one time some 10 miles out of shore among serious swell and chop, and was comfortably spinnakering for long periods. She feels more docile even though everything happens faster than on a non-spi boat.

recent past round texel races show all spi boat pulling spi in any condition. Often this race is held at winds between 16 - 25 knots.

One thing, to pull and retrieve the kite at 20 knots wind for the first time is somewhat of a personal victory. Not that it is hard but it is like lighting/killing the overdimensioned afterburners and that creates some butterflies in your belly. With the wind howling at your ears your first instinct is not to just double the amount of sailarea; especially not when it is unbattened and flapping violantly. When you are about to retrieve it than the butterflies come from being out there to keep the boat horizontal and having to come in and let the spi flap violantly again. After you became comfortable with the spi in 8-15 knots and have done the first few hoists in 15-24 knots you quickly become comfortable with it and in hindsight it will all seem a big fuss over nothing. And hey guys like me used to do this stuff by hand on the far lee side of the boat. With todays snuffers the butterfly effect is much less than in the first days.

One important trick is, and that is why you need to get experienced at hoist and drops in 8-15 knots first, to understand that speed is everything. Quick, but fully controlled, hoists and drops prevent things from going wrong. Slow hoists and drops tend to hang on stuff. Also, always pull in the retrieval line, pull it tight, before uncleating the halyard, Then with 2 to 3 quick pulls get a least 60 % of the spi in the bag. The rest will than follow nicely.

A second trick is to tie bungee cords betweent the tips of the spreaders and the side stays. This prevents the spi from being blown between these two and hang up on the spreader arms. However this seems to be less important now with the modern high aspected spinnakers and the snuffers.

Wouter