Pole (object)

From Freepedia

A pole is a long and stiff cylinder usually made of wood, aluminium, iron, carbon fiber, or other materials. It is often used to hold wires and sails.

Sailing

In sailing the spinnaker pole is a pole used to keep the spinnaker clew away from the mast and in front of the forestay, so that the sail is set at the correct angle to the wind and generates maximum power.

The pole is set in the pole ring or pole track fitted on the front of the mast. The pole is held up by the pole-up control and is held down by the pole-down control so that the vertical angle of the pole can be controlled. The end of the pole which is opposite to that connected to the mast is connected to the guy by means of a clip and the guy rope is in turn connected to the clew of the spinnaker. By hauling in or releasing the guy the crew is able to set the pole at the correct angle to the wind. This normally means running the pole at the same angle as the boom, though it may be overtrimmed (let forward) slightly on a dead run.

When the stern of the boat is turned across the wind the spinnaker must be moved on to the other side of the boat. This is usually achieved by releasing the guy end ("tripping the pole"), dipping the pole round the bow and connecting it to the guy on the other side. On smaller boats the pole might be tripped at both ends, turned 360° and reconnected on the new side.

Barber's pole

Barbers often have a red-and-white striped pole outside of their shops. This symbol of the barber dates back to medieval times and earlier, when barbers would perform a variety of medical tasks, including surgery and bloodletting. To show their experience, barbers would hang the bloody cloths of their operations on the pole, creating the red-and-white symbol of modern barbers who only cut hair.

See also

• Ski pole
• Flagpole