spinnaker downhaul position question

[john_morris_uk]

John,

it was your slightly surprising assertion that the pole on a Trapper 500 ( remember, a big boat to me and a lot of people here though I've owned bigger and sailed much bigger ) would only be a broomstick affair which got me.

I certainly didn't mean to say or imply that! In fact I've been trying to say the exact opposite. On a boat of that size, the forces on a genoa in any sort of wind need a properly secured pole.

 

[Birdseye]

One of the bits I am really not sure of is the line, "…the size of boats most of us sail on here…"

We had a beginner admitting he single hands his 49' boat the other day.

You made me smile a couple of posts later with your comment "that on any reasonably sized boat IMHO you certainly do". We're both being a bit vague size wise. My guess would be that most people on here sail boats in the under 35 ft range but it is a guess and comes from the occasional outraged post about YM referring to 35ft as a "starter boat". Certainly the OP refers to a Trapper 500 which is I believe round the 27ft 2 tonne mark.

I know lots of people 'one here' who have boats of a size that poling out a genoa certainly isn't judicious use of a bit of broom handle. I think one ought to be cautious about saying that you don't need guys. There are lots of occasions that you might not, but sailing downwind in a building wind is not the time for a beginner to realise that the quick and easy way wasn't actually such a good idea.

OK broom handle is an exaggeration but what is more interesting to me is the different way that you must use a pole. For me, a poled genoa is used going downwind in winds so light that the genny alternately fills and flaps. Short legs may be the boat hook. Longer legs a proper pole. In stronger winds with my 140% genny, I would drop the main if the wind is more than 120 deg off the bow, and the genny would be stable without pole. Whats more the tension on the sheet would mean that if a pole was used, there was no possibility of the sail end of the pole wandering about and therefore no need for guys, just an uphaul and downhaul to make handling easier.

In my 25 years of sailing on all sorts of boats, I cannot recall ever coming across one using guys on the pole, and personally I would not do so simply because of the increased risk that extra ropes would bring. Mind you its the extra risk / foredeck work that would make me avoid a pole cruising in stronger winds

But I am always willing to learn, and certainly wouldnt claim to be an authority on anything much so tell me how you use a pole on your boat and when you use guys as well as uphaul/downhaul etc.

I certainly didn't mean to say or imply that! .

No that was me.