The gennaker has also established itself in the cruising sector due to its easy handling as a space wind sail. A gennaker pole is not absolutely necessary to set such a bubble, but it makes handling easier and increases the efficiency of the sail.
It shifts the attachment point of the jib line further forwards, increasing the distance to the forestay. This allows the sheet to be guided inwards and the gennaker is operated like a genoa when jibing.
A gennaker pole also has a decisive influence on the efficiency of the gennaker. The usually colourful cloth is pulled out of the cover of the mainsail more and can catch the wind better, especially on deeper courses, which increases the range of use. On regatta yachts, the boom can sometimes even be swivelled for this purpose, i.e. it can be pulled to windward, making courses almost flat in front of the sheet possible.
Many manufacturers are responding to the trend towards gennakers, either with permanently attached, shorter fittings or extendable, long trunks. The rule is: the longer, the more effective. For better handling, however, an arm's length distance from the forestay is sufficient.
However, a gennaker is not only reserved for new or modern boats; it can be retrofitted to almost any yacht. One option is shown in the current issue of YACHT 5/2015, using a surf mast with self-laminated fittings.
Supplement to the magazine article:
A surf mast is normally coiled and not designed to take loads when clamped, as in the example shown. If these loads are too high, it can break at the clamping point, in this case the front fitting. If a surf mast is to be used for tougher conditions or less agile boats, i.e. if higher load peaks are to be expected, the mast should be reinforced at the clamping point - preferably with carbon unidirectional fibres in the longitudinal direction and then a carbon tube to fix the fibres in place. The diameter of the front fitting must then be correspondingly larger. Alternatively, an aluminium or carbon fibre tube intended for this purpose can be used.
