[r2straebel]

We have Pearson 35 that my wife and I weekend on in the Chesapeake. It came with a brand new symetrical chute that I have only used a few times. The boat has no spinnaker gear (no mast track, pole, blocks, or secondary winches) and the symetrical doesn''t seem to fly at all at deeper angles with the tack rigged to the bow and no pole.

I want to improve our lightair downwind performance and am considering either (a) installing mast track and buying a whisker pole, or (b) buying a cruising chute. (As much as I''d love to be able to fly the symetrical, I don''t see my wife and I doing that very often so I''ve ruled out a spinnaker pole as a first choice.)

I would appreciate feedback from other shorthanded cruisers regarding how much they use their whisker pole versus cruising chute. I realize it is ideal to have both, but need to make a choice here.

Finally, Forespar recommends a 28# LC 12- 22 for a 35'' boat, which seems like a lot to lug around for our use. Can anybody comment on how "stout" that pole is and whether I might get by with the lighter weight 17# LC 10 - 18. Has anybody used a whisker pole as a spinnaker pole in light air?

I appreciate any feedback.