How long is your pole?

In sailing, length is key for your whisker pole.  In other areas of life, length can be compensated for.  When sailing wing on wing downwind, nothing can compensate for a short whisker pole.  A long pole will put the clew of the jib far from the shadow of the main and allows increased sail area perpendicular to the breeze.

For a few years, I have noticed that boats in the non spinnaker class have been using longer and longer poles.  I stayed with the cheap piece of shit that came with the boat.  I have noticed that this is a downwind detriment to our speed.  The new PHRF ratings recognize this as well and have introduced some ratings changed related to the length of your pole.

Recently boats have added adjustable poles to their collection.  These must be banded to indicate the maximum declared length for the pole.  Sailors should take this seriously as the extra length is getting more attention than in the past.  I would not be surprised if there are a few violations on this issue in the coming year.

It is important to measure your pole.  I just threw down an approximation and was told to measure it accurately.  I erred on the long side, so I would not be in violation.  I will take an accurate measurement next time I am at the boat.  This will make my PHRF certificate accurate and should have been done before I submitted the application.  I may even get a credit for my short pole. 

So don't overestimate the size of your pole.  It could hurt your rating.