from the Fboats list, Ira Heller:

"Re: reachers and code zeros

This is the definition from the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing.

Part 4 OTHER REQUIREMENTS WHEN RACING Page 54

50.4 Headsails
The difference between a headsail and a spinnaker is that the
mid-girth of a headsail, measured from the mid-points of its luff and
leech, does
not exceed 50% of the length of its foot, and no other intermediate
girth exceeds a percentage similarly proportional to its distance from
the head of the sail. A sail tacked down behind the foremost mast is
not a headsail.

So, by US Sailing and International Sailing, a screacher is a spinnaker.

Side note: The original screacher for Corsair trimarans was
introduced by then Florida Corsair dealer Eric Arens and his
sailmaker Randy Smyth. It debuted at the Ft. Lauderdale - Key West
Race in January, 1993. The intent was to come have a sail to fill
the gap between the jib and the spinnaker yet not have to be rated as
an upwind sail and incur a rating penalty. The beginning of that
race was upwind and we (Pat Hogan's F-27 Hootin' along with me, Rick
White and someone else) were pacing JusTRIte II (Arens, Smyth, Notary
(as I recall) and someone else). But at some point, as we followed
the curve of lower Florida, the wind came somewhat aft to where we
had to barber haul the jib out. That's when JusTRIte II unrolled a
new sail and proceeded to do a horizon job on us. We were to later
learn that they had employed a new, never before seen sail that they
referred to it as a screacher.

Regards, Ira Heller"

Interesting ISAF definition

Now the F16's and Hobie 16's don't have jibs anymore but screachers as both sails have a convex leech with a horizontal foot (=short) making the midgirth measurement 50% or just over 50%.

The same may apply to all fully battened jibs, seems like ISAF has looked only at outdated monohull design again and not to modern skiffs and cats. What else is new ?

Wouter

So, every older Nacra, SuperCat, etc. with the old style overlapping jib tacked to the tramp or on a crosswire does not really have a jib at all? It's a screacher? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

If it's not on a sprit I've always used the historically correct sailing term "big butt jib" for those sails.

It says "Tacked down". From my understanding it means the *tack* of the sail must be in front of the mast. Make sense for something called a headsail...

The tack is the lower forward corner of the sail. The clew is the part your sheets attach to.

tacked down means where the TACK of the sail(correctly defined as the lower forward croner of the sail) is connected to the boat (or prodder or Spi pole).

I think that you'll find that the definition of a spinniker is a sail whos Mid Girth is greater than 75 % of the foot length. Therefore a screecher by definition is not a spin because its MG is less than 75%. A Screecher whos girth is greater than 75% is a code 0 or a spi.

I also think that it is ridiculous to suggest that the screecher was invented in 1993. Sails just like these ones have been around for a lot longer than that.

Some of the Volvo 70 boats claim to have invented a new sail last time round and refered to it as a spinoa. But really its just a screecher with a different name.