Hi all
Just wonder if any of the forum members have any tips for packing a spinnaker into a turtle quickly
Thanks in advance
Regards Don
tie the head , and both clews to something seperate with some light cord .
then follow the port and starboard edges down from the head , and straighten/arrange as you go .
when looking ok , stuff it in the bag !!!!! 
and have the head and P/S clews at the top looped with the turtle tie .
Not to overreach SandS but this subject needs prolixity imo.
The way l was thought:
A good turtle bag has three straps with velcro or a clip, one left, one right, one on the top to avoid mix-ups.
The luff and leach of the kite usually have green and red strips all along the edge from head to clew.
Grab the head, facing the back side of the sail towards you. Run along the green strip to the clew, checking the proper lay of the sail all along. Do the same along the red strip. Now the edges are laid out properly. Stuff the sail into the bag middle part first and clip the head and clew rings to the proper straps, left, right, top. You are done. If done well, no mix-ups, ready to go.
Practice with a totally, intentionally twisted, messed up may be even wet kite few times. Have a beer! (You'll need it!)
I found, as l mostly sail on my own, to launch a kite, easier from the cockpit. You run your sheets o u t s i d e of everything and hook up your barber hauler as well. Clip your sheets together!
If you decide on stb pole, clip your guy onto the pole (this is the only time you leave the cockpit) and hook up your pole's up and downhaul as well. Raise the pole when back to the cockpit then pull on the sheet bringing the guy back to the turtle bag on the port side. Hook up the clews and the halyard which must be free to run, but secure it not to have a runaway kite on your hands. When ready to launch, pull on the guy, slowly easing out your kite until the clew is at the pole's end. Keep pulling until the pole is about a foot from the forestay. Secure guy. It should be fine as your genoa should cover the kite running across it. Let your sheet out about ten feet, drop or furl your genoa about a foot, free the kite's halyard, launch. The kite should be sheltered enough by the genoa to launch safely. Adjust guy, sheet, barber hauler, drop genoa, readjust all, sail away, have fun!
You do not have to have a pole if so desired.
Recommended reading, Andrew Evans's book about single handed sailing. Free download!
Down the forward hatch, leaving the three ends just out. Next time, launch straight out the hatch! No need to repack.
Hi all
Thanks for the advice so far
Had a race this afternoon and put the head onto a clip over the door to the v berth and ran the red and green tapes together until i found the clews and then put each one over a port hole latch on either side and then sat on the companionway step with the turtle on my knees, found the makers symbol in the centre, stuffed the belly in and then when it was all in put the head and clews in
It looked a bit rough but it came out ok on the next hoist and was reasonably quick to do so i might keep doing it this way
Regards Don
Select to expand quoteSandS said..
good one Donk ! podium finish ?
Hi Sands
Funny you should say that because we were first across the line and first on handicap so it was a pretty good afternoon
Regards Don
Good on you Donk! 
That was a noble effort! You must be doing something right. 
Keep practicing, have fun!
Hey guys, thanks for mentioning my book. There is a newer version available for free download here:
www.sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/SinglehandedTipsThirdEdition2.pdf
I've learned a thousand lessons about launching the spinnaker over my years of singlehanding. And I just keep learning them, even today. I've been spending the past year flying the chute in 25+ knots, with all of the adventures that entails. Here is a photo from last week. I was sailing with 3 reefs in the main and my storm jib on the bow. It gusted up to 35. The trouble with the main so low, and such a small sail on the bow, is that when I got into trouble I was able to steer the boat downwind, but there was no shelter for the spinnaker, and after too much fighting it just gave up. But no worries, I was smiling ear to ear all the way home.
Andy
Donk
as your boat is not that big the fastest and simplest way is sit with the turtle between your legs. Lid in your crutch grab one clew put it over you leg white foot tape to inner and coloured to the outside. Leave a couple of foot of clew out then work along the white tape putting ut in the turtle till you get to within a couple of feet of the other clew. You now have a clew each side of the turtle cover. Then work your way up the coloured tapes do about 1.5-2.5m one side at a time making sure they are separated. When changing from one tape to the other push some of the belly of the sail in you will be able to judge how much as the excess between the tapes will be gone. Once you are within a couple of feet of the head put the rest of one of one of the clews in then the head then other clew put cover on. Some people like to leave the corners out of the turtle with cover on .
Hi Twodogs
Thanks for the information
The boat i am packing it on is the 33 footer i crew on in the race season and through other crew members leaving i now the forward hand
The blue spinnaker is a bit bigger than normal for the size of the boat but i will give your technique a go
Regards Don
If not using a snuffer in my mottle33 thats the only way I have ever packed a spinnaker.
If it's very windys and you want to tie the spinnaker an easy and quick way is get a bucket just large enough for the spinnaker to pass through the small end base of bucket. Cut the base off slide some small elastic bands over the small end of bucket the bands need to be as small as you can use. For a 33ft boat i would suggest 6. Make sure spinnaker is not twisted then pull spinnaker through the bucket from the big mouth side making sure tapes do not twist every couple of meters slide an elastic band over the spinnaker. Pack much the same as i said before but you are able to hoist the spinnaker all the way up and brace on before you pull the sheet braking the elastic bands.
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..
Ive a pair of these Donk should be fun
Hi HG
Rather you than me
We have a few drama's down here because the winds on the river frequently change and often the stronger gusts will come from come from a different direction to the prevailing winds so everything has to be constantly adjusted
Also our shorter courses involve rounding a mark in the bay and often the wind in the bay is blowing from a different direction to the wind in the main section of the river
I have to admit though i does look nice with both kites up
Regards Don
Select to expand quotetwodogs1969 said..
sailingmagazine.net/article-1422-memories-of-a-sail-that-lived-up-to-its-name-in-every-way.html
Select to expand quotetwodogs1969 said..
If not using a snuffer in my mottle33 thats the only way I have ever packed a spinnaker.
If it's very windys and you want to tie the spinnaker an easy and quick way is get a bucket just large enough for the spinnaker to pass through the small end base of bucket. Cut the base off slide some small elastic bands over the small end of bucket the bands need to be as small as you can use. For a 33ft boat i would suggest 6. Make sure spinnaker is not twisted then pull spinnaker through the bucket from the big mouth side making sure tapes do not twist every couple of meters slide an elastic band over the spinnaker. Pack much the same as i said before but you are able to hoist the spinnaker all the way up and brace on before you pull the sheet braking the elastic bands.
Using elastic bands or wooling a kite is prohibited by the racing rules. Comes under rule 55, trash disposal.
www.mysailing.com.au/news/trash-talk-alternatives-to-wooling-your-kite
Select to expand quoteDonk107 said..
twodogs1969 said..
sailingmagazine.net/article-1422-memories-of-a-sail-that-lived-up-to-its-name-in-every-way.html
That means I could raise three
Donk what you doing after I get my sticks up
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..Donk107 said..
twodogs1969 said..
sailingmagazine.net/article-1422-memories-of-a-sail-that-lived-up-to-its-name-in-every-way.html
That means I could raise three
Donk what you doing after I get my sticks up
Hi HG
Staying as far away as possible from your multiple spinnakers
Regards Don
Forward hatch is the only way to go!!
Raced alot on a 32 footer with large assy's and another 32 footer with mastheads and we used the shock cord style netting you get for trailers strung under the hatch, works a treat.
We would usually launch the kite from the bag for the first launch of the day but from then on it was only the hatch.
You can also do easy windward (and often much later drops) this way by removing the pole first and then pulling down via the brace. Also mexican drops (gybe in the drop) this was where you start pulling under the headsail but then gybe.
Great reading Andrew. My wife & I have used many of your suggested techniques on our 33ft boat with good success. One of the most useful sailing books we've purchased.
Thanks to you as well Foolish I think I'll read them both to see what the difference between them is.
Thanks for the nice comments guys. I appreciate it. Bruski068: there is not much difference between the two free versions, just that the one at www.sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/SinglehandedTipsThirdEdition2.pdf is a little newer. But there is a much improved version that was published by International Marine. That version has lots and lots of extra stuff; about 40,000 words extra.
And by the way, I recently did some research on meal planning for improved performance in singlehanded races. You can find this paper on the San Francisco Singlehanded Sailing website, here: sfbaysss.org/forum/showthread.php?1620-Meal-planning-for-SH-performance-improvement
Select to expand quoteFoolish said..
But there is a much improved version that was published by International Marine. That version has lots and lots of extra stuff; about 40,000 words extra.
i take it that's the current Kindle version?
