Poling out yankee on CD 31 (or 30, 32,)

[John Stone]

I don't have a 31. But on the Far Reach (CD 36) I depend greatly on the whisker pole. Mine is adjustable but it's old school with a series of holes in the outer sleeve and large detent pins on the inner sleeve. It's OK. I'd like to acquire a twist lock pole some day. Nonetheless, I use a pole topping lift, a fore guy, and an after guy. I have flown my genoa, working jib and sometimes the staysail wing and wing in up to 35 knots single-handing (just to be clear in that kind of wind it would be the staysail). It's a great system but it needs to be very robust. The fore guy and after guy are not important when the wind is light but they are essential as the wind builds. Otherwise you can break the pole if you get caught off guard and the boat gybes. Think of those control lines as sorted of a preventer. Plus, even under good conditions when you unclip the sheet the pole can swing forward and hit the headstay or forward lower. The guys help you control the pole.

It's easy to pull off all kinds of things when the wind is light but it's a whole other critter when the wind pipes up.

[Dean Abramson]

Thanks, David and John! Great photos, btw, both of them.

John, there is no friggin way Yours Truly is going to run wing & wing in 35 knots!!

Is there a line (that perhaps I just cannot see in the pix) that you have rigged along the pole to the release-loop, so that you can detach the pole from the sheet while the pole is still out there?

If you guys have time, I'd love to hear about your deployment procedures. On my earlier boats, I would grab the sheet, attach the pole's outer end, then rassle the inner end onto the ring on the mast. (I'd exit the affair in reverse order.)

I've never used a topping lift with a pole, but will experiment with my spinnaker halyard (we have an assym drifter in a sock).

I appreciate the input, guys.

[John Stone]

Dean,
I use what is called a continuous line system. The inboard end of the pole is mounted to a sliding bail on the whisker pole track. The track extends up the mast long enough to allow the inboard end of the pole to be stored up on the mast while the outboard end is attached to a ring on the turnbuckle on the forward lower shroud. The inboard end of the pole is raised and lowered by a line (the uphaul/downhaul) that is attached to the bail, runs up the mast through a cheek-block down through an eye-strap across the mast, through another eye-strap and back up the mast to the bail. The topping lift is permanently attached to the outboard end of the whisker pole. I tie on the fore guy and after guy, unhook the outboard end of the pole from its bail on the turnbuckle and attach it to the jib sheet. I then pull on the pole uphaul/down haul and the end of the inboard end of the pole comes down the track to a pre determined spot. As the inboard end of the pole comes down, the topping lift forces the outboard end of the pole to go up and out and Bob's Yer Uncle. With the pole out, depending on the wind, I can secure the fore and after guys and sheet in on the jib sheet. That's it.

I have seen various versions of this system over the years but I pretty much just copied the Pardey's system from the "Self Sufficient Sailor." To me, it's a very simple system. They explain it much better than I did and there are accompanying pictures in their book. There is also a thorough description on how to use a whisker pole when it is stowed on deck in Hal Roth's excellent book "How to Sail Around the World." He is a big advocate of the fore and after guy.

I attached another picture of my whisker pole in the wing and wing configuration. If you look closely you can see a thin vectran line running from the end of the outboard end of the pole back to the inboard end. It has a droop in it so I can reach it when the pole is up high.

Having that whisker pole up in a fresh breeze is a good thing because it keeps the jib out flying and pulling. It helps the boat run a straight course and counters the push of the wind on the mains'l (if you are flying it). If it is not poled out it collapses and then "bam" it suddenly fills and causes the boat to roll and also shock loads the rig which is very bad. It's scary as hell when you first start using the pole in fresh wind but once you gain some experience and confidence with it and have the sails reefed correctly it is just amazing how it performs and keeps the boat steady and on course. By balancing the sail plan it takes strain off the self-steering windvane and the rudder. 35 knots is on the high end for me, but it all depends on the boat, the sea state, how much sea-room you have, how steady the breeze is, your comfort level etc. and 7-8 knots down wind reduces the relative wind over the deck (and also on the sails) so using it down wind is less dramatic than it might sound. My point is that a good whisker pole system, that you are comfortable with, is a real force multiplier.

[Dean Abramson]

John, that is a great explanation. Thanks so much! I believe I have that Pardey book, and will check out the illustrations.

My new pole arrived yesterday, and I hope to try it out this weekend. I have storage chocks on deck, and a ring on a mast track for the inboard end while in use. The height of the inboard end will be limited by how high I can reach up and set that ring car, unless/until I get more creative. I will probably at first try pole-only, then try with a topping lift, then go from there.

I now remember that on my earlier boat I used to take the lazy sheet and secure it to a bow cleat, as someone had recommended to me; I guess that was basically a fore guy; I will probably try that again also.

After never using a pole on this boat, I am really looking forward to it.

Thanks!

[Jim Walsh]

Both of John's photo's are also good illustrations of how neat a reef actually is without the use of reef points to lash the bunt of the sail. The press of the wind and the lazy jacks, if you have them, are more than enough to keep things neat and quiet.