[Shockwave]

C'mon, moster pole on an Almond 31? Lift it with the topping lift, rig a foreguy and use the sheet as an after guy. It's really not that hard.

If you want to rig an independent after guy you can roll the genny and leave the pole up and rigged.

 

[Shockwave]

You don't need to strike the pole if its triangulated. Roll the jib and be done with it, leave the pole in place.

I rig my pole as described by Jon because it is the only safe and seaman like way to rig it. It keeps the pole's stability independent of the genoa and genoa sheets.

All the other methods are an accident waiting to happen, they work fine in good conditions, on small boats, but not off-shore in a squall.

I fly a 900sq ft genoa on a 25 ft, 90lb pole. In an emergency I can reef the genoa, get the pole safe and secure on the deck and the staysail flying in 2 minutes without leaving the cockpit... all without help.

Every time you utilize a sail configuration you should ask yourself--- how will I get back to a man-over-board single handed, under sail in less than 5 minutes.

 

[Shockwave]

You'll do fine, rig it and fool around with the jib first just to learn the mechanics of how to set it. When that's comfortable, hoist the kite. Crawl, walk, run... 99% of anything is just getting started. Good luck, have fun.

Well it was a monster when I first saw it. This 31 is the largest sailboat I've ever been aboard. OK, after looking at it tonight (it's here at the house), it's pretty little compared to yours and not as big as I remember it from 8 months ago. It's 12' and 2 1/2" diameter.