| I have a "snuffer" with my DRS. It is GREAT. To set and dowse the sail
is a pleasure. You can do the whole operation from the cockpit. Hoist
the sail in the sock, "unsnuff" it and you're in business. To drop the
sail, head up, "snuff" it and then lower it at your leisure. I guess if
you have a reasonable crew and like to wrestle with large, unruly sails
you don't need one but we older short-handed sailors need all the help
we can get!
I'd certainly will have one on my next DRS.
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| Just Like Ken, I have a sock on my Spinnaker. As I sail alone on large
lake with frequent violent winds coming down the alps with no warning
Snuffing the sail with a sock is just great, especially as being on my
lonesome trying to control a big sail that is flying close to
horizontal from the mast head is not easy to control without getting
wet & under the hull, without one low cost snuffer sock.
I would not do without ther sock & at the end of the mast the sock is
concertina-ed out of the way & the Spinnaker behaves as if the sock was
not there at all.
All the best,
Nick
sail alone.
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I'll "third" that recommendation. Even though I have an early version
of a sock with halyards led internally (better to have them run outside
in a sleeve), it still makes setting/dousing much easier, particularly
if you're short handed.
I wound up changing the rigging on mine just a bit because I found that
the halyard kept getting bound up. Raising and lowering the sock
doesn't require a very strong line, but be sure to use a *smooth* line
(this may be a less important factor on more modern designs), and make
sure that the blocks are of reasonable quality. A few bucks on the
right rigging can go a long way toward reducing frustration.
As far as "high wind conditions" goes, you won't be using your big sail
then anyway, so that's moot.
/Jim
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