At our club in Indy, I PHRF race a class legal Catalina 22 with a 12 foot whisker pole for a 150% genoa sail. At least one club member says the 12 foot whisker pole is "oversized" and that I should have my PHRF number reduced because it being oversized. I have already reduced my PHRF rating from 270 to 264 because my boat's performance is typically better than most other boats in our fleet.
The other club member believes the proper length for a whisker pole should be 8 feet, which is the "J" length from tack to mast. My response is that if I have a 150% genoa, then I should be able to use a whisker pole that is 12 feet (equal to 150% of the "J" length of 8 feet). Basically, 12 feet is also the "LP" length from Genoa clew to Genoa the luff at a 90 degree angle. I believe that any whisker pole OEM would agree that the length of a properly deployed whisker pole should be equivalent to the "LP" length of the sail (genoa clew to genoa luff at 90 degree angle).
My response to the other member is that the 8 foot pole length would be appropriate for a spinnaker pole, but not for a whisker pole as flying a spinnaker and using a pole for a genoa are two entirely different things. Plus, spinnaker sail has nearly 2x the sail area than a Genoa.
Curious to hear your feedback....thanks,
-Rich Fox
The other club member believes the proper length for a whisker pole should be 8 feet, which is the "J" length from tack to mast. My response is that if I have a 150% genoa, then I should be able to use a whisker pole that is 12 feet (equal to 150% of the "J" length of 8 feet). Basically, 12 feet is also the "LP" length from Genoa clew to Genoa the luff at a 90 degree angle. I believe that any whisker pole OEM would agree that the length of a properly deployed whisker pole should be equivalent to the "LP" length of the sail (genoa clew to genoa luff at 90 degree angle).
My response to the other member is that the 8 foot pole length would be appropriate for a spinnaker pole, but not for a whisker pole as flying a spinnaker and using a pole for a genoa are two entirely different things. Plus, spinnaker sail has nearly 2x the sail area than a Genoa.
Curious to hear your feedback....thanks,
-Rich Fox
