Poling Out Jib/Genoa on a 25D or similar

[Dick Kobayashi]

I have wanted to pole out my head sails from time to time but have never gotten the hang of doing it properly. I own a whisker pole, a 110% and 130% jib, an asymetrical headsail and have roller furling and a tiller pilot. Any advice on proper methods to pole out both WITH crew and SOLO would be helpful. Would like to become adept at this next summer which is "just around the corner".

[Carter Brey]

Good morning, Dick,

Poling out the headsail while singlehanding is child's play. I encourage you to try this as it lets you enjoy deep sailing angles in a way that an asymmetrical kite (a light air sail, not a running sail) cannot.

You don't mention whether you have a mast track with an adjustable car, or at least a mast ring, set up. I'll assume you do. An adjustable track is nice to have since the genoa foot will be at a different height depending on how deeply, if at all, the sail is furled.

All you need to do is to start with the genoa furled completely. Clip one end of your whisker pole to the mast ring. Clip your topping lift (or spare spinnaker halyard) to the distal end for support. If it's a telescoping pole, or a line control pole, keep it collapsed while you clip the end with the topping lift over the sheet, right at the clew of the sail but not through the bowline. The sheet should run freely through the jaw of the pole. Schools of thought differ on the issue of whether 'tis better to have jaws up or jaws down. Don't lose sleep over it. The important thing is to visualise what your course will be and have the pole oriented to what will be windward.

Extend the pole with the sheet free to run so that the pole points forward.

Return to the helm. Fall off the wind and establish your course if you haven't already, trim the main, then trim in the windward genoa sheet so that it draws the sail, and the pole with it, to windward. You are now sailing wing-and-wing, or a farfalla as they say in one of those places famous for saints and unsalted bread.

At this point you can also rig a foreguy, or a downhaul, to counter the headsail's tendency to lift. A lazy sheet answers admirably to this need.

Good trim requires that the mainsail boom and the whisker pole form a single unbroken line with the mast as pivot. In other words, with the wind over the stern at 180 degrees, the boom and pole will each be square to the mast at ninety degrees; with the wind over, say, the starboard quarter, the main will be trimmed in and the whisker pole let out the same number of degrees relative to the mast.

Don't forget to rig a preventer for the boom.

Cordially,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 MkII #532
City Island, New York

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[Sea Owl]

Dick;

Carter owned a gorgeous CD25 and had roller furling. I would offer a slightly different outlook, one based on having hank on sails.

1) With a hank on Genoa, I would never use the pole without a crew. The opportunity for disaster (expecially with no auto-pilot) is too extreme for me. Carter's process for putting a pole out using a roller furled Genoa seems sound to me, and worth a try.

2) With crew, and you only need one, it is fairly simple. Get the Genoa on the side you want. Have the crew member attach the pole to the sheet away from the clew, so that it can slide on the sheet. NOTE: The 'jaws' of the pole should be facing up so that when you release the pole, it falls away from the sheet. Then attach the pole to the ring on the mast. Slide the end on the sheet up to the clew of the sail, and then tension the sheet so that the pole is next to the lower halyard, without rubbing on it. Then adjust the mast end of the pole (if you can) so that the pole is perpendicular to the mast. Presto! You have the pole out, and can now adjust the main as you need. It takes longer to read this than do it once a crew member has done it once or twice.

A couple of cautions. Going wing on wing with the pole up downwind has hazards. Principle one is to watch going 'by the lee', i.e. the wind is coming from the same side of the boat that the main is on. You can suddenly jibe the main in that condition, with possible damage to crew and/or boat.

When you are ready to go on a beam reach or head upwind, drop the pole early.

I am sure that there are others on the board with MUCH more experience than I, that may have more to add.

Just my two cents! Hope it adds to your knowledge store!