File - Canadian Wayfarer Association

4 correct pole height
The pole height adjustment is small. Typically, the end of the pole should be 23 cm (9”) above
horizontal in light air and 30 à 40 cm (12-15”) above horizontal in heavy air.
The luff of the spinnaker should curl evenly as the boat heads up when the pole is at the correct
height. If the lower luff curls first, lower the pole. If the upper luff curls first. raise, the pole.
Another indication of correct pole height is that the tack of the sail is at the same height as the
clew.
Setting, gybing and taking down your spinnaker pole are best done easily and fast. This is
especially true in a blow where every second that the crew weight is forward brings increased
risk of a swim.
5 Storage
Fast pole manoeuvering starts with handy storage. Your pole should be stored along the boom
while being permanently attached to the uphaul/downhaul system by means of a rope loop. For
this, you need:
1 stainless steel wire or plastic loops on each side of your boom about 167,5 cm (5’6”) aft
of the mast to support the aft end of your pole in storage
2 a rope loop (a bowline not too much bigger than the circumference of your pole, tied into
the end of your uphaul will do nicely!) This loop should be inside the string which connects
your two pole end fittings.
3 The string connecting the end fittings should pass through a small eye strap fitted
across your pole about 7,5 à 10 cm (3-4”) from each end fitting. This keeps the loop from
sliding off the end of the pole in its stored position.
4 To keep those 7,5 à 10 cm (3-4”) from sticking out past the mast, attach a plastic hook
(e.g. Holt-Allen 148 or 248) with the open end facing aft, to each side of the boom near
the gooseneck. Insert the downhaul into one of these hooks during storage.
A system where the pole set from its storage position along the boom by a simple pull of a rope
and then clipped onto the mast, is very popular with the Fanshawe Fleet. If interested in the
details, contact Scott Town at (519) 672-5505.
1.5.3. Rigging the spinnaker
Handling techniques and equipment:
The important things to remember here are:
• to get the sail as flat as possible which keeps the angle of attack shallow as well as opening
the leech to leeward to stop the mainsail backwinding
• to keep friction down to a minimum in the control lines set-up
To get the spinnaker as flat as possible, it is necessary to organize the sheeting and pole
position. The spinnaker needs to be hoisted as high as possible. Do not tie a knot in the halliard
just above the head to keep the head away from the mast. A knot could also jam in the halliard
exit sheave. Incidentally, the pole should always be clipped on to the mast eye with the piston
part uppermost. This means that the crew doesn’t have to lift the pole up and over when setting,
or up and out when lowering. It also means that the spinnaker sheet is running over the solid part
at the outer end, and not the piston.
The way to find the best pole height for your spinnaker is to hoist the sail. Clip the pole onto the
windward sheet and slide it forward until it touches the spinnaker clew. Now raise the pole at
the outer end by pulling on the uphaul until a vertical crease appears from the centre of the
head. This means that the sail is too flat and the edges have overtaken the middle.
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