Technique: single ended spinnaker poles

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single ended spinnaker poles

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Technique
Forum Discription: 'How to' section for dinghy questions and answers
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7923
Printed Date: 25 Jun 25 at 1:41pm
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Topic: single ended spinnaker poles

Posted By: sawman
Subject: single ended spinnaker poles
Date Posted: 07 Jun 11 at 8:44pm

My recently acquired miracle has a single ended spinny pole - ie it only has piston on one end.

What would be the best technique for gybing the kite with this - would it be best to take the pole down, gybe and then reset pole or leave the pole out, and swap over after the gybe - tried both ways last week and neither felt great!

Replies:

Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 07 Jun 11 at 8:58pm

Generally bear off, pole off, gybe main, pole on, head up.

Is the mast end of the pole tethered to the mast by bungee?
Or can you gybe it by raising the inboard end a bit like a dip pole gybe in a yacht?
What's on the other end?

If you are gybing at a mark, from a tight reach to a broad one, you might gybe the main first then worry about the pole.

All subject to different people and different boats preferring different ideas in different places of course!

Posted By: DaveT
Date Posted: 07 Jun 11 at 8:58pm

probably with a small pole like a miracle you'd gybe with it on, unclip the pole, bring it back a foot or so, push the inboard end hard against the mast to bring the outboard end through the jib, clip back on, push back out. But I'm just guessing based on what fireballs do, best to ask a fellow miracle sailor if there is one about.

Posted By: SoggyBadger
Date Posted: 07 Jun 11 at 9:20pm

I advise taking the pole off before the gybe. It can be awfully fiddly pulling the pole in and around when it's stuck out on the wrong side after the gybe. Like anything different you need to practice to give it a fair crack of the whip. If after a few weeks you still can't get on with it, convert it to a double ended pole (or fit a twin pole system if your class rules allow that).

-------------
Best wishes from deep in the woods

SB

Posted By: sawman
Date Posted: 08 Jun 11 at 7:54am

Cheers chaps, My original thought was to take the pole down first, pull the twinning lines in and take the kite from the back of the boat through the gybe. The inboard end of the pole has one of those black plastic hooks like you get on jibsticks, unfortunately if takes a firm upward push to unhook it, which is what makes the process clunky, I can see that my kids will have a problem with this as it took my brother a couple of knock to unhitch it whilst on a planing reach - although to be fair his 11 stone moving forwards didnt help the balance of the boat.

more practice required I think