Cirrus Icon Development

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Had the simple choice of an aft-bridle mainsheet been allowed (making that boat much more convenient to sail), I'd probably have gone for it.

Always an interesting call that sort of thing for a SMOD... One of the subtle advantages of having the fit out identical on every boat in the class is that things like technique and tuning tips for folks new to the class are so much easier, but as you say if it doesn't suit your style its a turnoff.

But even subtle things like mainsheeting system between centre main as opposed to bridle and off boom will cause a subtle variation in performance, and if you've got 50 boats dead level off the line...

I can see good arguments for both ways of rule making... Take the RS800. There can be few people left in such classes who don't believe that the crew taking the mainsheet from the boom is faster upwind with a top rate forward hand and a crew that sail together regularly, but OTOH banning it makes the boat more accessible and easier to sail for the less leading edge sailors...

Originally posted by Peaky Do you only half lower the mast end of the pole... ? ...is that not a constant adjustement ...?  ... is a pole better, worse or the same as barberhaulers for reaching?

yes, yes, much better.

Edited by JimC - 08 Nov 10 at 10:18am

Thanks. On a reach is it just a case of: if the mast end of the pole is too low you can't sheet in tightly enough and if it is too high the jib leach twists too much? Do you have to raise the mast end when you gybe to prevent it whacking the foredeck? Apologies for all the questions.

The pole is on elastic so you just retract it when you go into a gybe. The clew position is a balance between the pole pushing down and out and the sheet pulling in, so if the pole is too far out you would need to retract it a bit to let you pull the sheet in. The best crews work both controls in unison, however you can still reap many of the benefits on a set and forget basis. Usually a cleat with a sturdy fairlead to allow cleating/uncleating from interesting angles or a flipflop.

On Grads we just had a cleat next to the mast and when reaching you could just keep the sheet in one hand and the pole control in the other, just play the two. We really missed it on Tasars with a stupid clip on pole. The great thing about the flying pole is that when its use becomes marginal you can just whip it out of the cleat and like magic its gone. Compare that to the Tasar which has a clip controlled by a string along the pole. Pull the string, after unclipping the other end from the mast and........ it dosent drop off, so you gybe with the bloody thing on and tangles in the sheets. Flying poles are the way ahead!