Whisker Pole

[osirissail]

Many things on sailboats have quite different names depending upon the country/language that is in use. But as said above, whisker poles are light weight poles used to keep the headsail from folding up when running downwind and the wind decreases or the boat rolls.
- - Both whisker and spinnaker poles come in adjustable and fixed length depending upon how much money you are willing to spend.
- - An economical alternative to a whisker pole is to buy a "snatch block" and attach it to the end of your main boom. Then run the genoa/jib sheet through the snatch block and back to your winch. You can adjust how much the main boom is swung outboard to control the genoa/jib. It is a good idea to use a preventer on the main boom to keep it outboard.

[Troubadour52993]

Whisker pole can be used opposite the boom to go wing and wing. Mine is adjustable. And yes, I've used an adjustable boat hook as a whisker pole too.

For those of you with a reaching strut - does it have its own foreguy and afterguy to keep it perpendicular to the boat? The Beneteau 375 I raced on didn't have one, and when reaching the guy would be on the lifelines. It would take a lot of muscle to get the pole farther back when we fell off a bit. Always wondered about that.

[Sandero]

I occasionally set my forespar adjustable whisker pole which normally live on a pad eye fitting which rides on a track affixed to the front of the mast. The pole has an pad eye to hold it level.

It's usually takes more time than it's worth to use, so unless I have a down wind run for several hours I don't bother. But when conditions call for it, the whisker pole is great. It gives the genny a large almost flat presentation to the wind. You can adjust its postion to give it max presentation with a set of for and aft guys attached to the pole.

I often rig an extra sheet when I use the pole. If the wind moves forward I release the working sheet held in the end of the pole and take up on the extra sheet which is sheeted in and the pole is then moved clear of the sail and rigging.

If you don't expect to gybe or have the wind move through the stern, you can rig both sheets on the same side one working in the pole end and the other ready of the wind moves forward.

Downwind sailing... likes of spaghetti. Lot's to deal with... but then again you are sailing along with little or no heel.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Troubadour52993

For those of you with a reaching strut - does it have its own foreguy and afterguy to keep it perpendicular to the boat? .

A Jockey Pole has a gooseneck clipped onto a U bolt on the mast. The other end is clipped to the spinnaker brace (aft-guy) and it holds the pole from hitting the forestay. in a broach it might come up a bit but shouldnt go too far unless the poles kicker (fore-guy) is let off.
The jockey poles fore and aft positioning is best done by bum bumping it to perpendiculer. It will stay there, usually.

If there is a problem with it you must head deeper downwind. The main problem is, of course, its designed for letting you reach closer to the wind than the sail plan is designed for.

They are simple and easy to use, but I dont see why a cruiser needs the last few degrees of a close reach when the slightest puff could make your broach......... Broaching is only good on other peoples boat It doesn't matter for all the noise of fittings popping when someone else is paying. And it generally means, in a race, that the goose who's broaching ain't gunna win!

[sailvayu]

My understanding was that a whisker pole had a 4-6" pin on the sail end on the pole that would simply slip thru the clew grommet in a jib. This being different than a spinnaker pole that uses a enclosing clip. Hence the name whisker as the pole has a "whisker" on the end This makes it easier to set or drop with the sail up and underway.

[Weyalan]

strictly speaking, a reaching strut never goes on the sheet, it goes on the brace (Austrlian) a.k.a. guy (USA). In Oz, we call a reaching strut a jockey pole. It often has a strop with a hook that fastend the outr end down to the toerail.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by osirissail

- - An economical alternative to a whisker pole is to buy a "snatch block" and attach it to the end of your main boom. Then run the genoa/jib sheet through the snatch block and back to your winch. You can adjust how much the main boom is swung outboard to control the genoa/jib. It is a good idea to use a preventer on the main boom to keep it outboard.

Good idea!

I shall try it but with a release line (snap shackle) on the snatch block to detach at a moments notice.

I don't run wing in wing unless I have a good breeze.