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Wouter,
Have you forgotten about the compression strut above the pole that goes to the bridle wires?

The way I see it this set up will allow the spi pole to be carried lower or make the setup stiffer for the height the pole is carried.

As the pole is lowered the spi pole bridle is less affective at taking the vertical loading while quite adequate at handling the horizontal loading. So the striker below the pole will help transfer the vertical loading on the tip of the pole to the standard fore stay bridle wires via the compression strut above the pole between the spi pole and the normal bridle.

Just the way I see it.

Regards,
Phill


Explained it better than I Phil. The lower the pole at the bow, the less effect the front bridles will have.

Perhaps they are also using new cut kites that are flatter and closer to a Code Zero and require extra assistance in keeping the luff tight and consistent. The Pelican striker is a good option to assist in achieving this.