Rigging an E-Scow Spinnaker

written by SailZing Editor

Learn how to rig your E-Scow Spinnaker with this video from Melges Performance Sailboats. The video highlights the North Sails spinnaker with a Melges E-Scow douse system. There are some helpful tips for those new to E-scow rigging or needing a refresher.

The Melges team has started to publish these helpful YouTube videos under the category “Melges How-To Series”. Melges Performance Sailboats has always been very helpful in promoting sailing and high caliber racing. This series could really amplify that voice.

Watching this video you’ll learn how to attach the kite head, clew and tack to the halyard, spinnaker sheet and tack lines respectively. Eddie will point out how to run lines for quick setting and dousing and to avoid line tangling. You’ll also see tips on knots and line lengths.

Head

00:48 Find the “head” (top of the spinnaker / “kite”). On a North Sail, this is where the red and blue edge tapes come together. The blue tape (luff) faces the bow. The red tape (leech) should face the stern.

Blue – “Luff” (leading edge)
Red – “Leech” (trailing edge)

01:07 Grab the spinnaker halyard hanging from the front of the mast. Make sure that it’s not tangled in the shrouds, halyards or spreaders. Tie the kite halyard to the head of the kite with a compact bowline knot with a short “tail” so that the kite can rise fully up the mast. Always rig it on the port side of the boat so that the halyard remains on the port side of the headstay. This facilitates launching at the windward mark.

Clew

01:56 Walk your hands down the leech (Red tape) to find the “clew” (trailing corner). The clew is where the white tape along the “foot” (bottom of kite) meets the red tape on the leech. Tie your spinnaker sheet “pigtail” to the clew, leaving about 10″ of pigtail between the sheet and the clew.

e-scow spinnaker clew attach to spinnaker sheet line

Tack

02:45 Find head of kite again. Then walk your hands down the spinnaker luff to find the “tack” (leading corner). The tack will be where the white tape (foot) and blue tape (luff) meet. Grab the tack line and ensure that it runs OVER the spinnaker sheet on the port side and tie it to the kite tack with a small bowline knot.

Douser Line

03:55 Run the douser line out of the douser hole (sometimes called the “blowhole”). The douser line should run UNDER all other lines (spinnaker sheet, tack line, etc.).

Standing in the douser hole facing the port side with the spinnaker in front of you, luff to right and leech to left, search down kite back side for the douser patch. Run the douser line pigtail through the douser patch loop in a double loop and tie the ends with two bowlines.