Whisker Pole

[harstonwood]

Boat rated for bowsprit only - anyone know the rating penalty for carrying a whisker pole?
Thanks

 

[flaming]

Boat rated for bowsprit only - anyone know the rating penalty for carrying a whisker pole?
Thanks

Depends on what you intend to use it for I think...
If you intend to use it on a spinnaker then it is classed as a spinnaker pole and there would be a penalty. But if you intend only to use it on a headsail when no spinnaker (so that would include a code 0) is set, it is classed as a whisker pole and then I'm reasonably sure that there is no penalty.
Note this clarification on outriggers from the fastnet, that helpfully defines whisker poles as being poles that are only used for headsail clews.
https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/do...ication_-_note_1_use_of_outriggers_in_irc.pdf
And then note IRC rule 21.
https://ircrating.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/irc-rule-2019.pdf
Defines that boats must declare bowsprits and Spinnaker poles, but makes no mention of whisker poles.

 

[harstonwood]

Thanks Flaming
The IRC rules changed in 2019 and are now silent regarding whisker poles. It used to have a paragraph stating that you could not pole out a spinnaker, but could a Genoa
I guess that’s why the Fastnet committee have clarified the rules, for their race
I don’t want to rate the boat for spinnaker pole and bowsprit, but would like to use the spi pole as a whisker pole. I’ll write to IRC and get a view as to wether it needs to be declared
Cheers

 

[harstonwood]

Ok has a reply from the rating office

“You will need to declare any and all poles, so the answer is yes, you will need to declare a whisker pole, bowsprit and a spinnaker pole if you add one”

I’ll add a my spi pole as a “whisker pole” next year, and see how the rating comes back.

 

[mattbaker]

I think you got the answer!

 

[harstonwood]

Yes and the latest 2020 IRC regs confirm it