All this talk of extraneous bits of string reminded me of that old Monty Python sketch re 'Simpson's Individual Stringettes' with John Cleese speaking the part of Adrian Wapcaplett - who can sell anything... Remember it? You may if you were a schoolboy in the late 60's early 70's. No? Here is a link..
http://www.skeptictank.org/files/en001/monty16.htmAnyway. Asymmetric Spinnakers. I've been playing and problem solving. I've managed to launch, sail and recover the black beast this past weekend with some limited success - there is a picture in the gallery of it in full flight (Rutland Water gathering).
I've taken a photograph of my set up with the launching 'hole' in the starboard side of my foredeck (BR20 Wood Epoxy). I imagined the principle would be to attach head, tack and clew, stuff the sail into the bag with a recovery rope attached to the tabs on the sail (another photo attached). I am using an adjustable tack, again photo attached.
The idea would be to launch the spinnaker, have an enjoyable sail then all could be recovered with one tug on the recovery line.
Not so. Easy enough to launch, downwind with the wind on the port quarter. The problem with recovery is the hole and bag are really too small for the spinnaker, also the dead eye to feed the recovery line through was screwed in directly below the hole with just a foot or so between them, consequently, when attempting to recover the spinnaker it fed back in by only a foot or so then stopped!. (Has to be said, a pretty poor design and clearly untried).
I resolved this by cutting out the foot of the bag and renoving the recovery line dead eye. I initially tried recovery by hauling in the line attached to the 'tabs' at the rear of the sail, this worked but bunched the sail so badly it was a struggle to get it all back through the hole. I've now dispensed with using these 'tabs' on the sail altogether and just fixed the recovery line to the clew (with the sheets). I can now haul it all in in a longer thinner 'sausage' which feeds in rapidly and smoothly, stuffing it in the space under the foredeck (the sheets are long enough to stay on either side of the boat).
Conversely launching is now pretty easy too, using the up haul to get the beast out of it's lair, then as the wind takes it, haul in the tack line and trim off with the sheets. Job's a good 'un!
I also learned the hard way that it can only be launched and recovered on port tack (obvious if you stop and think about it!). Also it is important to ensure that any parts of the sail or sheets do not protrude from the hole when stowed else they will foul the jib club boom
I'm pleased with my efforts so far. I was touching 6 knots this weekend in some pretty light winds so it has been worth the effort. I will now sail with the spinnaker ready to be deployed by my willing crew... and am now turning my attentions to rigging a furlable flying jib - or maybe something bigger ... Genoa!?
I hope this input will be useful to someone and I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who has the same launching/recovery system that I had installed by the yard, and what they have done to resolve the problems they would definitely have encountered?