Loss of Grounding and Spinnaker Sailing
Spinnaker sailing is a beautiful sight. The spinnaker is the billowing, graceful sail at the very front of the boat. It provides a parachute lift when sailing downwind. The operation feels more complicated than the other sails because it comes in a bag, or a long narrow tube called a “sock”, and there are a number of additional lines to control the hoist, tack, sail shape, sock, etc. But, as with anything, with practice, trying and a little bit of productive failing, you can come to understand the physics and processes and establish a flow. It can feel really good to harness the power of the spinnaker. It is a sailing accomplishment.
But as in life, it is important to avoid letting your desire for the beauty, speed or power of the spinnaker to cause a loss of grounding, balance or control. If you are overpowered by sails at the front of the boat in very high wind you can cause the bow (front) of the boat to “squat” down while the stern (back) lifts up. If the stern comes up high enough, the rudder can emerge out of the water causing the helm to lose control. In extreme situations, you could even have a “pitchpole” where the boat can actually capsize from the front. When sailing directly down wind, it is also easy for the wind to catch on alternating sides of the sail, causing the spinnaker to “jibe,” or vacillate back and forth from either side of the wind. Without control and care, and depending on conditions, the vacillating swing can build momentum on itself, generate further heeling of the boat, cause a loss of control from a disconnected rudder and even jettison people from your vessel – this is called a “Death Roll.”
In other words, if your boat is not grounded to the Earth through its connection with the water, it can become overpowered as the spinnaker takes control of you, your boat and everyone in it. The solution? De-power the spinnaker by letting go. The de-powered spinnaker will flap haphazardly in the wind – no grace, no power, no speed. But it is back with you.
In this way, spinnaker sailing is no different than our journey through life as humans. When we become overpowered by external forces and lose our own grounding and connection to ourselves or the Earth, we experience our own disconcerting heeling, death rolls and maybe even a full-on pitchpole. Akin to a spinnaker, the solution is to surrender the external ego need and ground in to what is solid and firm within you. Next time you are experiencing your own unwanted heeling or loss of control, consider what you are tethered to and whether it is something real or aligned to your authentic self and values.
Advancement and fulfillment happen when we know how and when to power our spinnaker versus surrender and center back to ourselves.