How to set a whisker pole

[Des_Beechey]

How do you set a whisker pole to pole out the jib for down wind running on a 37 ft yacht? There is a fixed ring on the mast for the inward end of the pole, but about 10 ft up. The jib is cut very high, so the clew is also about 10 ft above the deck. How do I get the whisker pole into place?

Des Beechey

 

[AndrewB]

I assume your whisker pole has plunger-eyes at either end. These can be opened remotely if a line is stretched between the two pull-rings.

1. Fix the inboard end to the ring. With a fixed eye you will need to open the plunger with the line and fish about a bit.

2. Run downwind, sheet the jib from the leeward side. Attach the pole to the windward (lazy) sheet.

3. Sheet in the jib from the windward side, i.e. goosewinged. As you do so, the outboard end of the pole will run up the sheet until it is against the clew of the sail.

However, I have some reservations about your setup, specially if your whisker pole is anything more than a lighweight.

With a fixed ring 10ft above the deck, it sounds as if the whisker pole might store down the front side of the mast. This would save fishing about at step 1, which could be dangerous. If it's too long to store there, then I think you should seriously consider mounting the ring on a track so it can be brought down to reachable height. A track is the normal arrangement with a yacht this size, and enables the whisker to be used with different headsails.

Furthermore, with a yacht this size it really helps with handling and setting to have an uphaul and downhaul on the whisker pole, as on a spinnaker-pole.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Stilts? nm

§

 

[Bergman]

An excellent description, can't fault it.

However

How does he get it down again?

 

[Des_Beechey]

Thanks Andrew, that's a very precise answer. Yes, I think the arrangement has problems too, so I'll look at installing a track.

Des Beechey

 

[pugwash]

Aren't Andrew's first and second stages back to front? Don't you clip the lazy sheet to the end of the pole first and THEN hoist it or whatever and clip the inboard end to the ring on the mast? Otherwise, how can you reach the outboard end to feed in the sheet?