Poling out a genoa

[Snowgoose-1]

How often do you do it. Properly that is, lazy sheet , topping lift, downhaul etc.

I have decided that it's worth it for an hour or more. A big plus for this rig for me is , when the leech of the jib can often turn into luff and still do good work.
Is there anything worse in sailing than a sail constanrly flopping in and out.

 

[Channel Sailor]

Definitely worth doing. Very necessary if you not have a downwind sails option to hoist. I did it on Thursday for a hour or so. For goose winged and deep broad reach while transiting a narrow ish gap off a headland. Used a topping lift and downhaul on the pole. Though this time I just used the normal genoa sheet. In the past I have rigged a spare as an extra sheet and taken it back to the spinnaker turning blocks which is much better, particularly when solo or short handed.

I think I even tried a foreguy and after guy on the pole once. The idea was to help to the pole banging about if you have gybed the Genoa/jib for a temporary manoeuvre. Maybe that is useful way offshore.

 

[johnalison]

I occasional pole out my jib. Being only 110%, it actually is harder to control downwind than a genoa, because less of it sticks out to catch the wind. For short passages I would goosewing/broad-reach rather than actually tack downwind since this gives me a better VMG, but a poled it jib is much more relaxing, and faster overall.

My pole, as with other HRs, rests against the mast, so it is a simple matter to deploy it, and I might attach the uphaul in advance if I think I’m going to need it but I have never felt the need for a downhaul when used with a jib. In my previous boat, a Sadler 29, the most advantageous way to sail was with a poled out Genoa and if possible running slightly by the lee, but this doesn’t work with my smaller proportioned jib.

 

[MontyMariner]

It depends on what you are using. With a Whisker Pole I find it only needs a downhaul. I don't use a Spinnaker Pole on the Genoa, it's too long and heavy.

 

[geem]

We have twin poles that store on tracks on the mast. We always set poles up with forward and aft down hauls. With twin headsails on furler we have many options on running down wind.
We will often leave both poles set when running in a strong breeze. We can then choose which one we want

 

[mattonthesea]

I only use an uphaul but we only have a spinnaker pole. I use the sheet as half downhaul by setting the blocks far forward.
So to Answer OP: modified half hour

Thread drift:
I see a lot of spinnaker pole set ups on YouTube vids where they have the pole out with fore and aft lines holding it in place. That's new to me.. I've only ever used the up and down haul, and guys. Am I missing something?

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I would say, about 50% of the time I need a pole, I rig one, mostly sail short coastal passages.

For quick downwind passages, I just rig my whisker pole with uphaul and connect to genoa sheet, then push up against bowline. That works fine and is used for the majority of passages I make, when I use a pole. On longer passages, I rig the pole downhaul, so uphaul down haul and genoa sheet keeps the pole and sail stable.

Twin poles, mounted on mast track, so relatively easy to set up. I have one spinnaker pole and one whisker pole. The whisker pole is very light and easier to handle than the spinnaker pole, but there is not much in it.

 

[Stemar]

I've yet to set it up on Jazzcat, but on Jissel, I found that a soft shackle attached to the clew of the genny allowed me to clip the pole directly to the sail. That way, I didn't need all the other string

 

[capnsensible]

On longer trips I use a pole secured by uphaul, downhaul and guy.
Sheet through pole jaws and led much further aft through a suitable turning block. Can then easy reef headsail whilst pole stays secure.

Takes 10 minutes to rig and hood for.....weeks! Check often for chafe

 

[blush2]

Poled out so much on Blush when we did our mini Atlantic circuit that setting up was second nature. The spinnaker pole was always attached to the mast on a track, with a dedicated downhaul. We just used the genoa sheets and rolled the sail up if we needed to gybe (dip pole gybe).

 

[oldbloke]

The danger of doing it "properly " a la Snowgoose is that it can become too much of a faff and then you can't be bothered. For anything more than 10 minutes, furl genoa , clip pole to genoa and mast and unfurl. 2 minutes work so can do it every time. If running for more than an hour, put the kite up

 

[johnalison]

The danger of doing it "properly " a la Snowgoose is that it can become too much of a faff and then you can't be bothered. For anything more than 10 minutes, furl genoa , clip pole to genoa and mast and unfurl. 2 minutes work so can do it every time. If running for more than an hour, put the kite up

Depending on the size of the boat, it is easier to handle a larger pole when its weight is taken by the uphaul.

 

[Sandy]

How often do you do it. Properly that is, lazy sheet , topping lift, downhaul etc

When I am on a point of sail that needs it.

The spinnaker pole can be rigged in minutes.

 

[andrewAB]

I've made my own light 4m pole out of RDM windsurfer mast and platistic end fittings the fit the 10mm mast ring and a new 8mm sheet. No topping lift or foreguy and stores in lazybag when not in use. Makes dead downwind fun again and only takes a minute to rig.

 

[Frogmogman]

I was contemplating buying a pole, as my boat, being equipped with an asymmetric spinnaker with a furler, is not great for dead downwind, and the tight sheeting angle made goose winging the Genoa impossible.

This year I tried attaching the spinnaker sheets to the clew of the Genoa for dead downwind sailing. It works a treat, the Genoa sets beautifully and seems very stable. It probably helps that the boat is a modern design with the transom being almost as wide as maximum beam, giving a very wide sheeting angle.

As my wife’s reaction to my suggestion of buying a pole was “Oh great, another bloody piece of kit on the deck to trip over” I’ve shelved the pole purchase for now, and will persist with my new technique.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

It depends on what you are using. With a Whisker Pole I find it only needs a downhaul. I don't use a Spinnaker Pole on the Genoa, it's too long and heavy.

I have a spinnaker pole, but it's kept in the garden.
I find my timber whisker pole is sufficient like your good self.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I only use an uphaul but we only have a spinnaker pole. I use the sheet as half downhaul by setting the blocks far forward.
So to Answer OP: modified half hour

Thread drift:
I see a lot of spinnaker pole set ups on YouTube vids where they have the pole out with fore and aft lines holding it in place. That's new to me.. I've only ever used the up and down haul, and guys. Am I missing something?

I find the extra sheet invaluable. I use a snap shackle wit a long trigger line so it can be released quickly.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

On longer trips I use a pole secured by uphaul, downhaul and guy.
Sheet through pole jaws and led much further aft through a suitable turning block. Can then easy reef headsail whilst pole stays secure.

Takes 10 minutes to rig and hood for.....weeks! Check often for chafe

A la Mr Goode. I think we all miss him.

 

[Supertramp]

I have twin poles that mount on the mast and a light whisker pole.

Although both poles can be used at once I store one on the stanchions so it's easy to deploy the single mast mounted pole.

I use fore and aft guys and can leave the pole set up depending on where the genoa is sheeted. I usually use a lazy sheet with trip line as it is easy to rig and release.

Rigging is a bit messy with guys secured to the toerail so I usually use this when I have an hour or more downwind. The whisker or pole with no guys is OK for shorter spells. No lazy sheet on the genoa in this picture as I broke the snapshackle the previous day (stick to Wichard or other top quality makes).

My biggest challenge is being able to rig enough sheets, made difficult because they need to pass through turning blocks to winches (odd cockpit layout). I am working on how to have two sets of jib sheets rigged plus a lazy sheet each side so I don't have to "unthread" a sheet to lead a lazy sheet. Or I will need triple turning blocks!

Learning to rig a pole so it stays rigged with or without the sail attached is really useful when singlehanded. You then only attach or detach the pole without the sail attached.

 

[MontyMariner]

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