I was sailing this week and, during a noontime calm, found myself heading into a channel against an outgoing tide. The wind was so light that I couldn't make a bit of gain against the tide until I finally let out my spinnaker, much to the amusement of a nearby motor boat. At any rate, the spinnaker did the trick and got me going, although I had to hold the clew by hand out to the side over the water to get the spin to fill; otherwise, it would collapse and luff. I've been in that situation a couple of times now, and I was wondering if anyone ever uses any kind of whisker pole on a cat to hold the clew out in such cases. If so, what specifically do you use? I was thinking that something telescoping would be nice so that it could be stored easily, but I haven't happened accross the right thing yet. Of course, a good breeze is handy for holding the clew out, too, but that isn't always available...

Thanks,
Kevin
Trac 14