[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Pfft what you have at the top is an 'Ausbaumer' (for booming out, sometimes called Spinnaker pole) used together with a 'Bullenstander' (english preventer, but comes from the square rigger times where Bullen or bulins were those ropes to hold the forward lower parts of the sail), and the second one down low is a dog hook.
A gaff is a beam to support or carry a sail, and always the upper one like here:



or here (main gaff is lowered here):



It must be hard to live in or on a gaff, Steed

On a boat, a gaff is a pole which is attached to a mast in order to support a particular kind of sail.

EGAD! PARDON MY 'GAFFE' I UBER-FOCUSED ON THE WORD PARTICULAR...AND ANY SAIL I'M ASSIGNED TO IS ....PARTICULAR IMHO!
OUR OYSTERBOAT ENGLISH FRIEND BERTIEK476 IS OF COURSE THE RESIDENT EXPERT ON THISSEEN DOING A DOWNWIND 'WING AND WING' WITH A LEGIT SPINNAKER < PS: WE USE THE BULLSTANDER (PREVENTER) ON THE MAIN BOOM IN THE DOWNWIND (AS DEPICTED IN THE THE PHOTO) TO PREVENT NASTY SNAP-SHIFT BACKWINDS THAT TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF-THE BOOM IS ALWAYS SET TO MY HEIGHT AS I'M TALLEST ON THE BOAT AND LIKLIEST TO BE MOVING AROUND AT ANY TIME OUT OF THE COCKPIT ESPECIALLY WHEN ATTACHING THE 'AUSBOOMER' TO THE 150% JIB WHICH IS ALMOST LIKE A REAL SPINNAKER AND SELDOM FULLY DEPLOYED IN THE WINDY CARQUINEZ STRAIT OFF MARE ISLAND. < FULLY DEPLOYED IN MILD WINDS IN THIS FOTO> IT ATTACHES TO THE HEAVY RING IN THE MAST FRONT ON ITS OWN BLUE/WHITE HALYARD AND SEPARATE BULLSTANDER>SINCE I'M THE KID ON THE CREW AT 68; AND MORE SURE FOOTED IN 20+ WINDS AND 3'+ SWELLS THAN THE TWO GENTS IN THE COCKPIT FOTO (IN THEIR 70'S): THESE RIGGING TASKS FALL TO ME AS FIRST-MATE> SETTING THE WHISKER/AUSBAUMER/SPINNACKER POLE AND NOT FALLING OFF A CATALINA 25 IS A PERILOUS EXERCISE IN MULTI-TASKING>

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

My usual Sunday stress relief ritual: motorcycle ride to lunch, read and nap.

WITH THE HAND CANNON FOR A LITTLE SUNDAY FERAL PIG ON THE CLOVEN HOOF!