To whiskerpole or not?

[suiramor]

My B46 does not have one. I am planning some longer, Pacific ocean crossings, hopefully with lots of downwind legs. How critical is it to install a whiskerpole to keep my genoa out? I sail singlehanded and the boat has a baby stay so installation requires some work and gear that puts the price at a level where I want the need to be essential. From those who have done, is it?

[nightowle]

I've sailed downwind along the Mexico coast and found it essential, in a 43' sloop.

[wholybee]

It's not essential. It allows you to sail dead downwind. But most boats are faster on a broad reach, so while you cut the distance, any cut in time will be small.

They can also help in very light wind, when the wind might not be enough to keep the sail filled. Many people start the motor on those days.

It takes significant practice and thought of setup to manage a pole singlehanded. I have it down to an art on my boat, but it took several years and about 20,000 miles before i got it all worked out.