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Spinnaker Snuffers Tested

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Does a snuffer make handling a spinnaker or cruising chute any easier - and what sort should you choose? Is A SNUFFER worth having - and, if so, how do you go about choosing the right one? To find out, we talked sailrnakers across England, Scotland and Wales ­then asked them whether they'd be prepared to lend us a sample for use on a Westerly Fulmar. As we soon discovered, choos­ing a snuffer isn't quite as simple as it might seem. For example, should you have a glassfibre, polyethylene or semi-soft mouth? Is rip-stop spinnaker fabric or woven nylon best? Does a block for the uphaulline make it easier to use - and should the line run freely down the inside, in its own sleeve, or through eyelets? What about the head attachment - how long should it be? Does the width of the mouth make any difference, and is it better to have a bridle for the downhaul? Do you need vent holes? Is the head best closed or left open? And so on. The only way to come up with defmitive answers to all these questions would be to test each snuffer in everything from drift­ing conditions to 30-knot winds, in wet weather and dry, over a period of several years. We had to put eight models through their paces in a single day, but still learned a good deal about what works and what doesn't. From our original list of 35 sailmakers, about half respond­ed to our enquiry - and half of those agreed to take part in our trials: Quay, Kemp, Crusader, Hood, Arun, Gowen, John McKillop and Jeckells. North were interested, but too busy to make one in time. So, after waiting a couple of weeks for a suitable weather window, we set out for a day of intensive snuffmg. At this point, I should admit that our crew consisted entirely of sceptics ­all of us are used to throwing spinnakers in and out of the hatch in the standard fashion, whether cruising or racing. Recalling previous experiences with a recalcitrant spinnaker sock some years ago, someone was heard to admit, "the best day's work we ever did was cutting off the snuffer - it always seemed to get stuck half way up or down!" Even one of the sailmakers told me, "TiVhen it comes to getting a spinnaker down, there's no substitute for a quick pair of hands in the hatch. " Nonetheless, we all resolved to put our prejudices and precon­ceptions aside for the day to see what we could learn, and pre­pared to be pleasantly surprised.

 

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