screecher diagram

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Joyce
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon 11 Jun 07, 0:24
Your Country: USA,BOSTON/MA

screecher diagram

Post by Joyce »

Is there a diagram/ procedure for setting up the screecher available?
Basic clues on how and when to use it?
gminkovsky
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed 01 Nov 06, 19:58
Your Country: USA, Long Island Sound

screecher diagram

Post by gminkovsky »

I use screecher in light winds on all points of sail. Some people also use it in stronger winds instead of the spinnaker downwind. Richard Suriani gave a basic rule: it is safe to use it up to about 7 knots of boat speed. Above that I furl it fast and switch to genoa.

The setup is very easy: I have two screacher blocks with Wichard snapshakles. I attach the block to the inboard eye on the rear aka for upwind sailing. On a downwind leg, if I am not too lazy, I move the block to the outboard eye on the rear aka. The two sheets go to the block and into the cockpit onto the small wiches. On my 920 I have a soft furler so the shock cord is attached to the starboard rail in the cockpit, and the continuous furling line runs along main hull. It help to separate this line over the bow rails.

The biggest problem with the screacher is it tends to tangle over the drum. You really have to keep a very tight spinnaker halyard and tack line. That is do not fly it as an assym spinnaker by easing on the tack line! If it tangled, the only thing you can do is drop the sail on the trampoline and untangle. However, in any kind of wind this sail will fly all over and take you with it! My 110 lb. wife was almost blown off the boat trying to lie down spread eagle style on the screacher on the trampoline!

You must furl and unfurl the sail on each tack and gybe so it goes in the slot between the forstay and its own stay.

Overall. this sail is more pain than its worth. However, in Long Island Sound there is no wind in July. So a screacher will move me along at 2-3 knots in 3-4 knots of wind. You always need 2 people to sail with a screacher! Your hands are full trying to raise the sail or to tack.

Basic procedure: furled sail is stuffed like a huge sausage into ama. To raise: open tack line lock in starboard coaming and tie the tack line loosely on the end of the bow rail near the tramp. Make sure the bowsprit is down and very tight in horizontal position. Open spinnaker halyard lock and bring the halyard to the ama hold containing the screacher. Attach the halyard to the end of the sausage that does not have a furling drum. Yell to first mate to start raising spinn halyard by hand while you pull the sausage out of the ama hold. When the sail is almost up untie the tack line and attach the drum end to it. Yell to mate to close tack line ("funky green line" on my boat) lock and to pull it untill drum is at the end of the sprit. carfully pull the furling line along main hull and attach to rail in cockpit. Separate the sheets if attached to sail. Now yell to mate to pull spinnaker halyard until very tight. Now bring each sheet to each side ovevr to the block and into cockpit. Make sure that the 2 sheets are separated forward of forstay. Come back into cockpit and tighten both tack line and halyard. Sail. When done, furl the sail. Release tack line and bring the drum to the ama hold. Slowly have the mate lower the spinnaker halyard while you struggle to fold the huge sausage into the ama.
I attach spinnaker sheets to the sail with a large plastic snapshackle. This way I can keep the lines neat. Do not use metal snapshackle. It can kill you if the wind takes over the flapping sail!
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