George - I’ve sailed 3-up with 2 of my kids as crew for the past 7 seasons. We started racing together when my daughter was only 8-yrs old and not too strong, so some of the responsibilities were assigned to account for different crew capabilities. We really haven’t changed much since then because we just got used to how it all worked. Here’s our program:

Upwind: Forward crew trims the jib, middle crew performs miscellaneous tasks as needed for forward crew and skipper (mostly straightening lines and helping give the skipper extra eyes outside the boat to provide tactical info).

Windward Mark - Leeward Spinnaker Set: Forward crew eases jib and then rigs the pole while middle crew raises the board and takes over jib trim. Skipper eases the main, adjusts vang as needed, raises spinnaker and gets the chute flying before handing spinnaker sheets to forward crew when available.

Windward Mark - Windward Spinnaker Set: Same as leeward set except forward crew throws chute out in front of jib while skipper hoists and then rigs the pole after the chute is up and full.
Jibing: Forward crew passes spinnaker sheets to skipper, takes guy out of guy hook, and begins to pull boom to centerline as boat heads down. Skipper pulls boom over as boat turns through dead downwind. Forward crew crosses and transfers pole to new windward side while skipper flies the chute. Middle crew transitions jib from one side to the other and straightens spinnaker sheet tails. Forward crew resumes spinnaker trim when done with pole and placing the new guy in the guy hook.

Leeward Mark: Forward crew hands spinnaker sheets back to skipper, takes down pole, then packs the chute in the windward turtle as skipper eases halyard (we perform windward take-downs about 95% of the time). Middle crew drops the board, stows the pole, straightens lines, and trims the jib as we make the turn while forward finishes packing the chute into the turtle (if we dropped late). Forward crew then resumes jib trim.

I would recommend shifting all spinnaker trim responsibilities to the middle crew if they are capable.and willing. This would limit the need to hand spinnaker sheets back and forth as we do. We have not made this change because we’ve gotten quite proficient with the program as it is (since we’ve been using for so long) and because my middle crew really does not have the desire to fly the chute. In the end, you have to come up with a system that works for your crew and their particular abilities.

I hope this was helpful.

Bill
FS 5193
Flying Fish <><