Dear Cindi

You will be in your sailing harness and pigtail and tie on to the mast at deck height. Be sure the pig tail allows you scope to be able to move to the bow.

 Be sure to get out the Krol oil and lubricate to a point of free movement any shackles, clips and retracting hardware on the pole and topping lift.

The pole is first attached to the topping lift at the mast with the tack secured until you are ready. Free swinging poles add too much excitement to a fun day.

Choose a light air day for safety and ease of practice.

This advice is based on the assumption that the "flying" sail is already hanked on the head stay
is hoisted&flying or on a roller furling.

 I might be more specific than necessary for the experienced.

NOTE; the clew corner of the headsail(regardless of type) becomes the tack when it is attached on a reaching pole.

2. When you change course downwind and need to move the headsail to other side, it is a jibe and could be sudden if not controlled. Release any preventer at boom before course change.

If the head sail is on roller furling, come-up slightly to luff and roll in enough sail have the clew within reach of the tack end on the pole, forward of the shrouds.

Engage the mast attached pole on the leeward side, tension the drifter sheets and gradually release the window shade and trim as you fall off to fill the sail as it deploys. Then adjust pole level as chosen course dictates.
 Before the jibe, release the pole, relax the sheets as you draw in the window shade, to let the sail easily slip between the head stay and stysail then, reset as above.

With a spinnaker/blooper(flying sail attached only at the head and clews, without hanked on head stay attachment at luff).
 More attention is given the clew sheets (crewed winch control in the cockpit) for forward control of the sail until the tack is set and trimmed.
However,in racing, the tack and pole are usually preset on deck and at topping lift and all is hoisted and trimmed at the same time, there by giving deck room for change out of genoas and quick set rounding of the race bouys for downwind lay line. The spinnaker halyard is the control in this setup and there is usually more crew to tend the strings.

Without a window shade and foredeck King Kongs with the brains of Einstein:
Have your drifter/yankee sheets on the winches tensioned to trim.
Have the pole attached at the mast.

This is a safety, to prevent the sail & pole from moving out of reach and control and having to face a flying swinging pole.
Usually,You can attach sail tack corner on the pole at a reachable height while the whisker pole is at a high point on the topping lift track Some sailors attach the pole to leeward sheet itself and bring the pole up to the corner D ring or tack , depends on the sail shape and wind speed.

OR Walk the pole forward if the pole is very long and fixed,(or without a remote retracting shackle lanyard at end of pole which makes it easier to reach out and capture&release the outboard clew).

Another short-handed safety is to attach (rig a snap shackle or rock climbing grade carabiner(not the cheap key holder type) to a light piece of 1/4" line to apply as a downhaul at the tack end of the pole, attaching at the tack end to feed outside of life lines,through a ring or other sheave at the base of the head stay, allow enough length so it can be brought back to the mast, you can trim to keep the luffing under control as you clip the tack onto the pole and have a adjustment while you are working at the mast topping lift.

Have the sail a bit shadowed by the mast( just off-dead down wind), allow the sail to luff slightly and within reach without having too much pressure on the tack or you.

 Only when you have the tack or sheet engaged on the whisker pole, do you begin dropping the topping lift to shape the sail for wind speed.
 If you are short handed you can make an estimate about the level of the pole and go aft to trim the sheets and see how it is flying. then go forward and adjust the pole level, if necessary.

Remember to re-attach your safety pigtail at the mast before you lay hands on gear.

Wing on wing the instruction could be for the headsail tack to be to windward- Depending on the size relationship between the main and headsail in use.
 However,I usually set the main to windward to keep above the lay line to my course. It also is less tempermental in light air. The use of a 1/2"sheeted, down-haul preventer on the main's boom with a quick release carabiner ( in absence of a cunningham tackle) saves the gear and stabilzes for sea conditions.
 On some boats I use a short lenth 4/6 to be able to see over the edge of the dodger from the helm and winches (Im short, 5"3") to monitor the sail shapes.

I am very alert to increase of wind speed and direction with downwind sailing. Availablity of GPS SOG and course data is helpful. The speed when it is at your back is less apparent as the boat is moving smoothly with the wind.

To tack,when cruising, slowly shadow the sail to luff, release the tack end and raise the topping lift to bring the tack-end of the pole in for rotation to other side.
There are many different poles out there, some adjust length, for swapping sides To swing through a smaller arc, between the foredeck and topping lift attachment,without having to adjust or disconnect at the toppinglift then extend outboard.

If your pole is fixed-length, with shackles at both ends,unhook the pole at the mast after you have cleared the sail and move the "tack-end to the topping lift.
The pole will be at ready for the opposite side on the new course.
 Remember this is a jibe as the wind is over your stern.
Some poles slide up the mast at the attachment far enough to be clear and secured in place, on the come about (this a good concept) as it allows you to quickly swing the pole ( a dip pole jibe) to tack onto the other clew the sail as it rotates around the outside of head stay and stysail stay.

 For racers, you know the tack-swap short-cut, but for short handed safety, clear the pole from the sail first and do a dip pole jibe.

I know it sounds intense, but it is worth it-especially on a favored crossing. In light air it will be challenging but it tunes up your understanding of the tremendous power of down-wind sailing.

May the winds be on yur favored tack

Pam Hooper
pamarno@Comcast.net

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Cindy Ballreich <cindy@ballreich.net>

> We got our whisker pole and finally got to try it out yesterday. It
> worked great, but the deployment was kind of awkward. I was wondering
> how you "old salts" managed it.
>
> Ours in mounted on the cabin-top (starboard side) and we use the
> staysail halyard as a topping lift. Do you attach to the mast before
> attaching to the sheet?YES How do you manage to keep "one hand for the
> ship" while you attach the sheet? Baba 30s with aluminum masts have an
> issue with the staysail winch being in the way of the pole. How to
> people deal with that? HUmmm, my set up is different.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice. I think that the whisker pole will
> really be a HUGE help in downwind sailing.
>
> Cindy
> s/v Mandisa
> Baba 30
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
> For more info, please check out the FAQ...
> http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html

-----------------------------------------------------------
Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
For more info, please check out the FAQ...
http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html
Received on Mon May 14 12:12:37 2007