Winter can be an overlooked season for the mid-latitude boat. Even if you don’t snowbird south for the tropics, good times aboard can still be had. Put on your hat and head on down to the boat, because winter is a fine string of months for boat projects.
Whisker Pole
Most sailboats would benefit from the addition of a whisker pole. Stabilizing the headsail while sailing off the wind will add speed and reduce roll. The classic image of trade wind sailing dead downwind with sails set wing on wing is easy to envision. I’ve also learned to use my pole on a broad reach with the genoa poled out on the same side as the double-reefed main. The pole stabilizes the headsail and gives it excellent shape. The reef in the main protects that sail against spreader chafe while also letting the breeze past to fill the headsail. With the main already shortened, this sail combo is easy to reef further by rolling in some genoa. The pole is key here—you’d never be able to keep the genoa full at this deep an angle without it.
It’s easy to partially or completely furl or unfurl the headsail without lowering the pole. In fact, with a forecast for downwind sailing, I’ll often attend to the work of setting up my pole before I even pull up the anchor and get under way.
A whisker pole can also be used to
