It looks smooth and harmless, but it can turn into a handful on a charter yacht.The gennaker is promoted as a “safe alternative” to a spinnaker — and that’s true on paper.
But in real charter life, it’s a different story.
They look easy, but need constant trimming
One wrong jibe or wrap, and you’re in a serious mess
Most charter guests don’t know how to recover a collapsed gennaker
They can collapse onto the forestay and wrap beyond rescue
🧭 Especially risky when:
The crew is uncoordinated
The wind angle shifts suddenly
You’re in a narrow channel or close to shore
At JustSail, we’ve seen too many gennakers ripped, stuck, or tangled around the forestay.We know how tempting it looks — but the cost of a mistake is huge: sail damage, mast issues, and lost time.
That’s why we offer gennakers only on request, and only to skippers who know exactly what they’re doing.
Light wind, open sea
Crew with solid experience in downwind trimming
One person dedicated to the sail
Plenty of space to recover if something goes wrong
If that’s you — just ask. We’ll gladly explain rigging and handling during check-in.
The gennaker is fun — if used correctly.If not, it’s a trap disguised as a toy.
So unless you know what you’re doing…Just say no to the gennaker.
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