Using the Xenon Gennaker
The Xenon gennaker is a joy to use and if you have not yet attempted to do so you may be missing out on a whole new experience. Do give it a try. Contrary to popular belief it is not difficult to use and can make an otherwise tame sailing session a very enjoyable experience. The video clip below illustrates how easy it is to use... in reasonable wind conditons of around 10 knots or less. Since we first tried our gennaker we have not set sail without it. With winds of around 10 knots the Xenon will readily plane, in this mode the speed of the Xenon increases substantially (but controllably) and the wake of the dinghy becomes very smooth. If you have time you will notice the foam from the bow wave flying past the gunwhale and watch the wave following the rear of the Xenon.
In stronger winds the crew will feel the Xenon accelerate underneath them as the full power of the Gennaker turns on. In these circumstances the Helm moves to the back, literally sitting on the transom and the crew moves rearwards of the thwart seat and shares the toestraps with Helm. The Xenon will behave like a leaf dancing through the waves. It is difficult to avoid shouting with the pleasure that the Xenon travelling at full speed gives!! ... all adding to the look of terror on the faces of peaceful fishermen who see the monster sail bearing down on them.
The following guidance assumes a correctly rigged gennaker. See the Rigging Guide for info on this
The video clip shows the Gennaker being launched in dying wind conditions. However note how quickly the Xenon dinghy picks up speed and how smooth the ride becomes.
The Xenon is not planing in this run but is close to achieving it.
Crew stands up to drop Gennaker to obtain maximum length of pull, and therefore speed of drop. These are ideal wind conditions for getting a feel for the Gennaker.
I have read much about the problems of retrieving the Gennaker from owners of other dinghies. In particuler the complaint that the sail jams and cannot be pulled into its chute. Whenever I have experienced this problem, and we all do, it is because the retrieval has been attempted before the Xenon has been turned fully downwind or the retrieval has been slow, allowing the sail to blow into the water. Avoid the temptation to go around the buoy before the retrieval is complete - if this is a problem the retrieval should have been started earlier! Turn back downwind, partially rehoist and start the retrieval again. Never use brute force during the retrieval - it will not help and is likely to damage the gennaker.
Initially practice using the gennaker in light wind conditions, ie up to 10 knots and away from other boats and the shore. You need space. Turn the Xenon on to a 'Training run' ie about 30° off from being fully downwind. Crew should launch the gennaker as rapidly as possible and as soon as the Head of the gennaker sail hits the hoist block at the top of the mast the crew should make sure the Spinlock cleat is locked (pulled down). Rapidly pull in the gennaker sheet (on the same side as the active Jib sheet) until the Gennaker stops flapping. As the flapping stops the Gennaker will inflate, then slowly release the sheet to allow the Gennaker to swing towards the bow. The crew will feel the pull of the Gennaker on the sheet and the Xenon will pick up speed. In light winds and on a 'Training run' have no fear of the Gennaker, it will not pull you over as long as you stay reasonably downwind. As the Xenon heels the Helm can, if preferred, make a slight course alteration to follow the Gennaker. Alternatively crew can start hiking on the side, in which case there will be a substantial increase in speed. If the speed increase is more than is comfortable or there is a shift in wind direction simply make a gentle course alteration to follow the Gennaker downwind. You will rapidly 'get the feel' of handling the gennaker in such conditions and appreciate the pleasure it provides.
At some point soon after launch you will notice the leading edge of the gennaker beginning to curl. Curling signals the limit of the release. Slowly pull in the Gennaker sheet until the curl just disappears. The Gennaker is now operating at its best.
In this practice session remember to 'strike' (retrieve) the gennaker well before you approach the shore. The Xenon will continue to travel quickly during the retrieval and the Xenon must be turned downwind and kept downwind until the retrieval is complete. Speed of launch and speed of retrieval is the essence of handling the gennaker, but this can be done in an unhurried fashion by the crew standing up and bending down to grasp the downhaul line. Then by pulling in the downhaul line and straightening up as you do so it is possible to pull in more than 2 metres of line at a single sweep, using your free hand to swing down and grasp the line ready for the next pull. As you start the strike remember to uncleat the Spinlock, otherwise the retrieval will come to a sudden halt! Crew should call to the helm indicating the Gennaker has been retrieved after which an upwind course can be started.
Gybing the Gennaker in light winds is also very simple. As the Helm calls "Gybe Oh!" release the cleated jib sheet and give the new Jib sheet a quick pull so that the Jib sheet is on the new side - but do not waste time adjusting it - just make sure it is pulled across then forget it. I often manage to grasp both the new jib sheet and the new gennaker sheet together and pull them both across, briefly pausing to loosely cleat the new Jib sheet before continuing to fully pull in the new Gennaker sheet. If I am quick enough the gennaker will often re-inflate long before the new gennaker sheet is pulled in, giving the impression that the gennaker has simply glided from one side to the other with very little loss of power.
Gybing the gennaker is undoubtedly straightforward but it is worth emphasising the need for speed in pulling in the new gennaker sheet. Do not allow your attempts to pull the Jib sheet across delay the pulling in of the new Gennaker sheet. If the new gennaker sheet is not pulled in swiftly the Gennaker will happily drape across the Jib wire or develop the 'hour-glass' twist. It may be necessary to Gybe back to effect a release of the twisted gennaker.