What is the difference between a whisker pole and a spinnaker pole?
Whisker poles are sized to match the size of the foot of the sail that they are working, while spinnaker poles are sized to match the distance from the mast to the bow, also known as the boat’s “J” dimension. Because of this, Whisker Poles tend to be significantly longer than spinnaker poles for the same boat.
Can you use a spinnaker pole as a whisker pole?
A spinnaker pole with a declared length not longer than 1.1 * ‘J’ can be used as a whisker pole to trim headsails.
How does spinnaker pole work?
The spinnaker pole is rigged to run from the base of the mast, where there is a special fitting for attaching one end of the pole, out to windward over the side of the boat. There, one of the control lines of whichever sail it is to be used with is run through a fitting on the other end of the spinnaker pole.
How do you measure a spinnaker pole?
The length of your spinnaker pole is determined by the yachts “J” measurement. This is roughly the straight line distance from the front of the mast at deck level to the headstay.
What is a whisker pole used for?
Whisker poles are used to “wing out” the jib when sailing downwind. Sailors who have experienced downwind sailing without one can appreciate the value of being able to stabilize the jib, enabling the sail to work more efficiently and without the noise of the sail flopping in the wind and waves.
What does a whisker pole do?
Which way up does a spinnaker pole go?
Position the spinnaker pole so that the out-board end of the pole is over the side of the boat that will be the windward side when the spinnaker is hoisted.
What is the difference between a gennaker and spinnaker?
In short, a gennaker has a genoa’s form (asymmetric, head and tack pinned, sheets tied to the clew) with the wide girth of a spinnaker. The gennaker is an all-purpose downwind sail, while spinnakers are built for specific downwind apparent wind angles.
What length should spinnaker pole be?
Spinnaker Pole Length is normally equal to the “J” Dimension of the boat, but some classes allow for a longer Pole, the maximum length usually being expressed as a percentage of “J” (e.g., 110%). A Reaching Strut is used in conjunction with a Spinnaker Pole.
How is spinnaker sail area calculated?
singlehander with jib The area of an actual headsail is measured by striking a perpendicular from the luff to the clew and multiplying that length by the length of the sail’s luff. Under the International Offshore Rule, the base length for that perpendicular was J, expressed as LP = J.
What percentage is genoa?
Sail racing classes often specify a limit to genoa size. Genoas are classified by their size; a modern number 1 genoa would typically be approximately 155%, but historically number 1 genoas have been as large as 180%. Number 2 genoas are generally in the range of 125–140%.