Backup forestay - very scary experience today

[RogerFoxTerrier]

Our forestay failed today. Thankfully we'd stopped on a pontoon and others were around to help as the mast started to fall back.

Had this been at sea, or even on our swing mooring it could have been catastrophic.

So this got me thinking, the forestay holds up the mast and has a roller jib on it. Can a second forestay be installed? Even one that's not actually load bearing but there as a backup?

 

[KevinV]

That looks like it has untwisted - is the furler in good order?

As for a backup forestay, I can't see how really.

 

[Poignard]

Please don't take it as criticism but that failure could have been avoided with effective inspection and maintenance.

You don't need a backup stay.

 

[RogerFoxTerrier]

Please don't take it as criticism but that failure could have been avoided with effective inspection and maintenance.

You don't need a backup stay.

Yes, I totally take your point. We only raised the mast a few weeks ago, and the forestay 'looked' OK to me, but hey, I teach Computer Science, I'm not a rigger!

But it clearly can fail, so am just toying with ideas.

It might be as simple as incorrect halyard tension... I'm just trying to learn, and stay safe.

 

[RogerFoxTerrier]

That looks like it has untwisted - is the furler in good order?

Well I'm now wondering. It was really stiff to unfurl, hence stopping on a pontoon, and tugging it (not excessively) lead to the snap.

 

[KevinV]

Well I'm now wondering. It was really stiff to unfurl, hence stopping on a pontoon, and tugging it (not excessively) lead to the snap.

I think you've got your answer right there. I'm glad you didn't sustain any damage, other than to your undies.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Well I'm now wondering. It was really stiff to unfurl, hence stopping on a pontoon, and tugging it (not excessively) lead to the snap.

Sounds like the halliard is at too small an angle to the upper swivel, resulting in the halliard winding round the top of the forestay, and then twisting the wire. Is there a halliard diverter near the top of the mast, so the halliard makes an angle of about 60° to the stay? If not, there should be.

 

[Sailing steve]

I leave my spinnaker halyard winched fairly tightly to the pulpit just ahead of the jib furler. If the furler fails then hopefully that'll be enough to stop the mast landing on my head

 

[GEM43]

I’ve always thought that forestay back up is a spin-off advantage of a slutter rig.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I have a babystay which will keep the mast upright, but only if there is no strain on it. I also have an emergency inner forestay for my storm jib which would need fitting in position. And as mentioned in #8 my spinnaker halliard is also on the pulpit. And as Antarctic Pilot in #7, he explains the initial problem which caused the initial forestay failing.

 

[[70521]]

Looks like a severe case of 'halyard wrap' to me. Glad to hear you were on the pontoon when it happened. I last experienced the same thing on my last boat when I was attempting to remove the genoa at the end of the season, was tugging just a bit harder than usual and I suspect old rigging.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I leave my spinnaker halyard winched fairly tightly to the pulpit just ahead of the jib furler. If the furler fails then hopefully that'll be enough to stop the mast landing on my head

I used to do this and it frayed the top of the furling genoa. So now keep it to the side of the mast on a stanchion base. Mine was only even hand tight, with body weight.

 

[rotrax]

Well I'm now wondering. It was really stiff to unfurl, hence stopping on a pontoon, and tugging it (not excessively) lead to the snap.

I, as a matter of course, before every trip, release the outhaul and furling line and give one complete turn of the furling drum in each direction, by hand. Ditto for the newly installed-3 seasons- Code Zero on a furler. Any stiffness-never yet found any-would be immediatly investigated.

Standard practice before slipping the mooring lines. Finding stiffness would-I hope- result in finding problems before they get as far as yours did.

Glad you 'got away with it'.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Foolish question - perhaps - but is not the jib halyard acting as your 'backup forestay'?? On mine the furler foot is attached to the stem fitting, with the forestay attached to the furler, and at the top the the jib halyard then backs up the forestay.. if the forestay failed at the top - the halyard would still be holding sail and top of foil up???

 

[Dellquay13]

Foolish question - perhaps - but is not the jib halyard acting as your 'backup forestay'?? On mine the furler foot is attached to the stem fitting, with the forestay attached to the furler, and at the top the the jib halyard then backs up the forestay.. if the forestay failed at the top - the halyard would still be holding sail and top of foil up???

My Foxhound (big brother to the Foxterrier) has this furler 2nd fixing at the bottom of the Colnebrook hub. It also has a babystay which would share the load should the forestay fail.
It would hopefully last long enough through babystay and genny halyard tension to get the spinnaker halyard onto the stem and winched up tight enough to let me get the genny and foil tamed and out of mischief.

 

[wonkywinch]

Our own Vyv has an excellent description on halyard wraps here - Halyard wraps

 

[Sea Change]

Foolish question - perhaps - but is not the jib halyard acting as your 'backup forestay'?? On mine the furler foot is attached to the stem fitting, with the forestay attached to the furler, and at the top the the jib halyard then backs up the forestay.. if the forestay failed at the top - the halyard would still be holding sail and top of foil up???

That's what I thought as well. Surely the furling drum is attached to the stemhead, so the sail+halyard must be able to carry a fair bit of load.

 

[vyv_cox]

Our own Vyv has an excellent description on halyard wraps here - Halyard wraps

Beat me to it! I was just about to post the link. Thanks.