What's the point of a whisker pole?

[Miker]

I use my whisker pole with the genoa more than flying the spinnaker,as normally the run is of a short duration. The pole is lighter and telescopic, making it easy to mount, as against trying to use a heavy and cumbersome spinnaker pole to hold the genoa out when goose-winging.
As an aside, I really ought to hoist the spinnaker more often, just to get the necessary practice, instead of taking the easy option.

 

[TRUNDLETRUC]

Whisker pole

Our boat had a whisker pole when we bought it. It has proved itself very useful especially as the yacht does not have a spinnaker.

I was also very happy that its length allows it to move between the mast and front of the genoa (J measurement?) without taking it off the mast.

This means that if we gybe it can be pulled through from one side to the other by just pulling on the genoa sheets without leaving the cockpit. To avoid twisting the endfitting attach it into the bowline that fastens the sheet to the genoa.

 

[Gypsyjoss]

I recently bought a Forespar telescopic whisker pole for a Sadler 32. The recommended length was J x 1.15 = 4.1m.
1. It's really essential and lovely to use on long downwind trips in light airs, and easy to set up. Beats messing about with a spinnaker or cruising shute, especially when shorthanded
2. You obviously can't adequately replace a 4m spar with a foot or boat hook.
3. It needs to be telescopic to easily store it, mine fits on deck where the spinnaker pole(which I don't have) should be.
4. It needs to be light weight to handle it - mine is ally 45/60 mm diameter

I used to take part in the Ionian Regatta in a Cobra 850. I had an old heavy 3m spinnaker pole, and in the downwind section we used to push the genny out with this and beat the pants off others with their boathooks! So, I think everyone would benefit by having one.

 

[prv]

Course you have two boat hooks - how do you get the first one back after it's stuck itself in the mooring strop before you are attached?

Actually, I have two boathooks because they double as cabin-top grab-handles. A wonderful piece of dual-use design and neat stowage that I love.

Pete

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Left hand informing right hand?

Actually, I have two boathooks because they double as cabin-top grab-handles. A wonderful piece of dual-use design and neat stowage that I love.

Pete

Brill idea, but how do you use the same one on the windward side to move fwd and hook on at same time?? do you have a backup hand line as well? Cannot quite see from pic.
Ever had crew grab for it as a rail with the one hand, while alreadyholding it ready for the mooring strop in the other?
Just curious, got this mental picture keep forming.

 

[prv]

Brill idea, but how do you use the same one on the windward side to move fwd and hook on at same time?? do you have a backup hand line as well? Cannot quite see from pic.
Ever had crew grab for it as a rail with the one hand, while alreadyholding it ready for the mooring strop in the other?

With the caveat that I haven't actually had KS in the water since buying her in December, I don't see this as a major problem. On other boats, by the time I'm needing a boat hook to pick up a mooring, the boat is upright and calm enough not to need grabrails. I suppose one can make scaremongering arguments about hooking a MOB with sails up in big seas, but it's not like the boat is completely devoid of handholds without the rail in place.

The ropes you see are halyards and a topping lift, not manropes, but I suppose one could catch hold of them if needed in a boathook-related crisis.

Pete

 

[Danny]

... as the Spi pole will push the genoa tack too far outboard

Since when was a whisker pole used for the TACK?

A whisker pole can be used to hold the clew of a genoa out in the "goose wing" position when just off a dead run in such a way that the airflow over the sail reverses! This means that the leach then becomes the luff and the clew becomes the tack! So the op may have had it right anyway.