Dropping a free flying sail can be difficult, especially when you sail shorthanded, but it is very important to plan the manoeuvre carefully in details.
The halyards and sheets must be prepared for an undisturbed free run without twisting. During the drop it's advisable to change the course of the yacht to point lower in a direction where the sail will start flying into the lee of the Mainsail and/or the jib and where the yacht then is heading a course where it stays more upright.
First of all you let the windward sheet of the sail go and at the same time the clew is pulled tight inboard the boat.
Then you ease the halyard successively as the sail gets pulled in from the foot and upwards in the lee of the mainsail - firm and quickly.
On larger boats additional dropping equipment such as SpiSocks and endless top/down furling units are essential for a successful drop of the free flying downwind sails.
In the video below, you can see the SpiSock in action as we hoist a gennaker with our friends from Vindisejlene.tv.