spinnaker pole
Loren,
You are quite right that my boat came with a spinnaker pole, which does me no good since I do not have a spinnaker to use it with, which is too short for use as a whisker pole.
The spinnaker pole lives vertically on the forward side of the mast on attachments for that purpose. I assume, perhaps not correctly, that the whisker pole can be stowed in the same position.
A related question is what the "legal" length of the whisker pole would be. Here is the language from the West Florida PHRF rule :
Whisker pole maximum length shall not exceed maximum rated Headsail LP.
Boats racing in a designated Non-Spinnaker race may use a whisker pole. Maximum allowable
length is equal to the maximum LP of the largest jib that the boat is rated for.
Adjustable length whisker poles shall have a 2-inch contrasting band indicating maximum allowable length. Whenin normal use, these poles shall not be extended beyond their maximum allowable length, and shall be attached to any point on the mast.
Note the reference to the "largest jib that the boat is rated for"?
It seems that I can have a whisker pole aboard that is longer than allowed as long as I only use the allowed length which are marked.
That leaves me with the questions:
What size jib is my boat "rated for"
What is the LP of both a 135 (which I use) and a 155 (or whatever jib my boat is rated for) ?