Ready to elevate your sailing experience – especially in winter, or whenever wind conditions are light? Modern Sailing is now making it possible for you to experience the uplifting joys of flying an asymmetrical spinnaker during your bareboat charters!
Why Get Rated to Charter with a Spinnaker?
Sailing with a spinnaker on San Francisco Bay brings a more immersive and contemplative sailing experience to your charters. Feeling the rush of accelerated boat speed when the spinnaker catches the breeze provides an exhilarating contrast to the conditions that surround you in calmer conditions. As the boat glides through the water, the sun casts a gentle glow through the spinnaker, adding a vibrant splash of color against the backdrop of the bay’s blue-green waters and iconic scenery. Navigating the bay's challenging currents and changing winds, the dynamic interplay between you, the boat, wind, and spinnaker fosters a sense of harmony and mastery, enabling you to achieve a euphoric state of flow. Get rated to charter with this beautiful downwind sail and you can deepen a rewarding connection to the artistry of sailing.
How to Get Rated to Bareboat Charter with a Spinnaker
Step 1: Complete a 2-day Asymmetrical Spinnaker Clinic. When you also complete a 2-day Racing Clinic, you become qualified to join Drop-in Races.
Step 2: Complete 6 on-the-water (OTW) days sailing with a spinnaker. These OTW days can be achieved by sailing in a Drop-In Race, as a member of a Club Race Team, and/or by completing an Asymmetrical Spinnaker Development Sail.
If you have a sailing resume documenting equivalent experience, submit it to Modern Sailing. With school approval, your previous experience may enable you to bypass Steps 1 and 2.
Step 3: Contact the Modern Sailing office to request approval to schedule your Asymmetrical Spinnaker Rating evaluation.
Step 4: Undergo the Asymmetrical Spinnaker Rating evaluation on a J/105.
Upon successfully acheiving an Asymmetrical Spinnaker Rating, members who are Gold or Platinum Fleet Rated are officially approved to enjoy sailing a J/105 with a spinnaker year-round, whenever winds are less than 18 knots. Once approved, clients may then schedule additional spinnaker evaluations on the J/88 and J/99.
Asymmetrical Spinnaker Rating FAQs
Q: What skills are spinnaker candidates evaluated on, and how are they evaluated?
A: Aboard a J/105, candidates will go out on the water with an instructor to receive an evaluation of their mastery of sailing with the spinnaker. They must demonstrate and verbally communicate every step of setting, gybing, and dousing the spinnaker, as well as perform a crew overboard recovery while flying the spinnaker. There will also be a written examination requiring an 80% or higher score.
- The wind must be at least 10 knots and less than 18 knots for the OTW portion of the evaluation.
- Due to these wind thresholds, the most favorable seasons for evaluations are from late fall to early spring.
- In the summer, evaluations are scheduled for the morning hours when winds tend to be lighter.
Q: How much time is needed to complete a Spinnaker Rating evaluation?
A: The evaluation takes about 6.5 hours to complete. Subsequent evaluations on the J/88 and J/99 will be about 4 hours in duration.
Q: Do I need to bring crew to help handle the sail during the OTW evaluation?
A: Candidates are required bring their own crew to assist with spinnaker handling. Up to two candidates who are seeking a Spinnaker Rating can be aboard to be evaluated at the same time. There must be a minimum of three additional crew members for 1 candidate and 2 crew for 2 candidates, or four total aboard.
If you need some help finding crew, you can utilize the Crew List email distribution list, Slack channels, or Facebook Crew List group.
Q: What is the cost of a Spinnaker Rating Evaluation?
A: The cost for the initial J/105 spinnaker evaluation is $1495. Subsequent evaluations on the J/88 and J/99 will cost $995 each.
Q: What boats in Modern Sailing's fleet have spinnakers that I can check out when I charter?
A: At our Berkeley location, J/105s Nirvana and Resolute, J/88 Fly, and J/99 Mymble have spinnakers that you can check out to accompany your charter. At our Sausalito base, J/105 Chao Pescao has a spinnaker.
J/88 Fly sports a brilliant red spinnaker.
Q: How do I request a spinnaker for my charter?
A: Once you are Spinnaker Rated, you can contact our office team to request that a spinnaker be added to your charter reservation.
Q: Is there a cost to check out a spinnaker for my charter?
A: Yes. The cost is only $50 per charter, whether for one day or multiple consecutive days.
Q: What if the spinnaker gets damaged during the sail?
A: Just as a charterer is liable for damages to a boat during a charter, a charterer is also liable for damages to a spinnaker. The maximum liability is two times the boat’s insurance deductible. You can find your boat’s deductible amount in its electronic Pre-Cruise Form (also known as the Boat Check-out Form).
Questions? Please feel free to contact our friendly office team. We're happy to answer any questions you may have about getting rated to charter with a spinnaker, or help you get scheduled for an Asymmetrical Spinnaker Rating Evaluation.
