How would you use a short pole under sail?

Aeolus_IV

Aeolus_IV

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Hi,

Sorry the subject isn't clearer - let me expand.

We've been sailing our boat for a year now, and we are starting to get a handle on her, but for one thing. Nestling to one side of one of her two spinaker poles is a short pole about half the length of a spinaker pole. One end has a standard pole end for hooking onto spinaker sheets/guys, the other has a partially open pully wheel obiously used to guide a sheet of some sort (possibly enabling that pole end to rest upon a sheet, but allow the sheet to run freely over the pully). There are no other fittings on this pole. In addition, on both sides of the mast (at about waist height) there are two stainless steel rings into which the hook end could attach.

What is this pole called, and when and how do you use it?

Thanks, Jeff.

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It's a whisper pole by the sounds of it. (edit: oops yes of course a jockey pole, must be the thread below I just read! I'll get me coat)

Use it to keep the guy/brace off the windward shrouds when flying a spinnaker and the spinnaker pole is so far forward that the guy chafes against the shrouds.

If you see what I mean?!

<hr width=100% size=1>I can't see the whites of their eyes, I'm not tacking....<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by jonhenderson on 02/06/2003 14:33 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
No, it's a jockey pole, and is rigged at 90 degrees to the mast, and the guy run through it in order to improve the angle (and hence the mechanical dvantage) of the guy. You only need it when really close reaching, with the spi pole just off the forestay.

In everyday cruising life, you may well never need - particularly if you upgrade your guy to be dyneema rather than polyester. The lack stretch and huge strength of dyneema has allowed me to ditch the jockey pole (and I'm talking a big 3000 sq foot spinnaker), which makes life much easier.

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I doubt it - a whisker pole should be longer (and possibly thinner) than a spi pole - it will be a jockey pole, and about 1 to 2 feet longer than the half beam of the boat.

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Ahh, now that makes sense - I had not thought about using it in combination with a spinaker pole. Yes - it is just a few feet longer than half the beam. A jockey pole. Seems unlikely that we'll use it as we rarely fly the spinaker and only in light airs with the wind well aft of the beam (there are only the two of us on board). Next sail to buy is likely to be a cruising chute which will make this redundant anyway.

Thanks again,
Regards, Jeff.

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I'd suggest that a spinnaker and a cruising chute have different functions. The cruising chute really is not a downwind sail, and if you're on a run then a spinnaker really is more functional.

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Exactly my point - we only use our symetric spinaker when the wind is well behind the beam. At this point of sail this jockey pole is unnecessary, and a crusing chute or asymetric spinaker would be less effective than a symetric spinaker. When reaching off the wind then the jockey pole would be of use, but that's when I would think that the asymetric spinaker comes into its own. In reality our use of sails is dominated by how easy they are to hoist, control and drop - this is why the spinaker we do have has so few outings, and why the 'chute would fill a hole in our rather small sail wardrobe.

It just occured to me that I may be introducing some confusion in here with my mixing of terms (re cruising chute and asymetric spinaker). Unless I am really mistaken the main "difference" between a Cruising Chute and an Asymetric spinaker is mostly the draft of the sail when set, the 'chute being shallower and hense potentially a viable sail with the wind infront of the beam, and the asymetric deeper and giving more power with the wind further aft. As a boat with potentially a 140-150% Genoa I'm feel that a sail in the "middle ground" between the two would work well, but I don't want to start a thread on this subject as I'm sure it been air'd many times.

Thanks again, Jeff.

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Sorry but couldn't resist it...... I'd have him down below painting the bilges and hope the language problem would not be too bad..
Rab.

<hr width=100% size=1>I believe we should all pay our mooring fees with a smile. I tried — but they wanted cash.
 
Yes - definitely a jockey pole. Apparently rather rare these days, but you definitely need it on certain points of sailing.

It is so long since I have flown the symmetric kite that I can't remember the details...

On a close reach you do need to keep the guy off the shrouds - here the jockey pole can help, but I take my guy through a snatch block mounted on a car on the Genoa track, and I think that solves the problem.

But I think it is also useful on a dead run - this time for the sheet. As the stern is so narrow, with the pole squared well back you tend to have problems with the sheet rubbing both the shrouds and the lifelines/stanchions.

However I'm not quite sure how it is supposed to be used - i.e. which way up it goes and whether it is tied on to anything.

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Hi Bedouin,

Now everyone has explained what it is and how to use it I can see exactly where to clip it on and how it would "rest" on the spinaker guy. I'd not thought about using it on the sheet when running deep down wind, but can see what your saying. It is a strange little gadget - there is no means of attaching a line to lift it or stop it moving about forward or aft, so I guess one just hooks it on and rest the other end on the sheet/guy in question. I'll probably take it home now and store it in the garage.

Regards, Jeff.



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I seem to remember that it has a couple of deck eyes near the outboard end - I wondered if they were to be used to tie it to the cap shroud

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