How to Rig With a Whisker Pole

A whisker pole is a very light version of a spinnaker pole. A spinnaker pole is used to help direct and guide headsails in sailboats. When sailing downwind, the role of the spinnaker is expanded to include guiding sails such as jibs and genoas. It's in these downwind situations that the lighter version (the whisker pole) is used. To use the whisker pole, though, you first need to know how to rig it.

Instructions

    • 1

      Provide a topping lift to the whisker pole. This will keep the pole even and prevent it from falling down. Using a staysail halyard or second-jib halyard is acceptable if a topping lift isn't available.

    • 2

      Move the job leads as forward as possible. Take the lazy sheet and push it over to a forward deck cleat.

    • 3

      Set up a fore-guy to handle the weight of the pole and an after-guy to increase the sail's efficiency for longer trips.