Climbing the mast, why? How?

taz

taz

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I have done a search and given, tbh.

Please excuse my lack of understanding.

So

What reasons are there for climbing the mast?


What techniques are there?


How many times have you had to, whilst at sea?(this one may be interesting if tcm replies.)

tia.
 
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Change the nav light bulbs
Inspect the rigging
Turn the tri colour round the right way (not mine!!)
Replace the halyard that fell through
Replace the VHF antenna
Replace the brokenflag halyard or lazy-jack line

I use a looooong 4:1 tackle. Hoist it to the mast head and use it pull myself up in a bosun's chair, whilst Admiral/First Mate tails the rope and the safety line on jammers and winch.
I do the work, she looks after my safety.
Don't carry too much insurance or keep her very happy :)
 
all sorts of sensitive kit such as electronics, wind indicators, burgees, halyard sheeves, nav lights are parked at the top of the mast.

Despite the designers' best will and intentions, these tend to go wrong at distressingly frequent intervals, and need fixing; hence the oft-repeated threads about mast climbing gadgets, mountaineering devices, etc. Fixed steps are the best in the crusing or solo context, a bosun's seat or sling are also popular, with a climbing harness plus two halyards and couple of gorillas on the winches usually in racing, but you can 'monkey' it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT31L_ir_os

Yes, dunnit, often, while racing, but not for ten years. Can be fun unless it's for serious in lumpy weather.
 
taz said:
I have done a search and given, tbh.

Please excuse my lack of understanding.

So

What reasons are there for climbing the mast?


What techniques are there?


How many times have you had to, whilst at sea?

tia.
Click to expand...

Loadsa times and I hate it!!

Spent half of monday morning dangling from the mast of a 37 foot yacht. Was working with a pro rigger so natch it was me who got winched to the clouds. Did use his very robust bosuns chair complete with secure safety straps. At each 'station stop' I clipped this to a secure point in case of failure of the main halyard I was dangling from.

Jobs. Replace the 2 lower shrouds. Now being up a mast whilst its supporting wires are removed does not bring deep joy. Next right to the top to drop a mouseline down the inside to reeve a new halyard. Took a while and by now was cold, dirty and numb in parts. Finally back down to lower spreaders to reset to the correct angle. More wire loosening whilst swinging out and bashing spreader ends upwards. Mmm.

Not my favourite day so far this year.

Lots of other times over the years on other yachts, found at the top of a 55 foot yacht mast that bravery and stupidity are much the same sort of thing!

Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, was right at the top of a mast once, on a halyard secured onto a horizontal winch on the side of the mast. When I enquired as to the source of the loud splash and sudden 2 foot drop, I was informed that the winch drum had fallen off and gone over the side.
 
Similar to Chalker.
Replace VHF antenna, and cable several times.
Endlessly replacing or wiggling tricolour bulbs to get them to connect, until I bought a Lopolight.
Re-reeving a halyard that somehow was pulled right through
Checking T-ball fittings and swages for cracks, broken strands, etc
Fitting lazy jacks
Installing fittings for radar reflectors
Installing lacing eyes for flag halliards

I use a Mastclimb, now not made but very similar to Mastclimber.
 
Oh dont forget the near death experiences to be had using those weirdy rivet dooh dahs that extend out like inspector gadgets legs and need 4 arms to operate properly.
 
Why? for all the reasons previously mentioned; ie windex, tri nav light, antenna, flag halyards, checking sheaves/chafe etc etc..plus, in the French Marquesas, we discovered that the reinforcing plates on the mast holding a big bolt that secures all 4 lower shrouds in place had sheared, and the bolt was 'cheesewiring' down our mast... so up we go (at anchor, not at sea I hasten to add) to try and fix them. See pictures.
The pics also might show that we have mast steps, coupled with a very good secure and comfortable bosuns chair, plus an extra clip on strap, used with the main or other strong halyard (tied to the chair with a bowline not by the shackle), and tailed on deck. I hate heights with a passion but manage. (The mast steps are great, but were installed a bit too far apart for some one with short legs like mine).
 
So many reasons, many have already been mentioned...

We would go up before delivering a yacht to check everything is as it should be. Once we received a new boat for delivery that had no split pins in the rigging! Glad that was spotted before we set sail!

Here is a photo taken mid Atlantic - delivering a Contest 42 back from Antigua.

Liv+up+mast.JPG


I prefer a climbing harness with a safety line (additional halyard). Usually the lightest goes up and the strongest tails!

Pete
 
We had our mast stepped yesterday and found that the running backstays are in front of the spreaders rather than aft as they shoud be :eek:. Fortunately the main halyard and topping lift are correctly led. I expect to spend a few minutes up there later today sorting things out.
 
capnsensible said:
Oh yeah, was right at the top of a mast once, on a halyard secured onto a horizontal winch on the side of the mast. When I enquired as to the source of the loud splash and sudden 2 foot drop, I was informed that the winch drum had fallen off and gone over the side.
Click to expand...

Glad I hadn't heard that story when I was winched up a mast purely for fun decades ago (in my twenties). Maybe it was only to the spreaders, and certainly on a charter yacht in port, but the prospect of mechanical failure would have made me twitchy!

Mike.
 
Mast steps are great :cool: Most longish passages I'll pop up to make sure all is well with everything up there. Went up once solo couple days out of Azores for chaffed spin halyard, really good view, could see several pods of dolphins :)
 
As noted earlier, it's the same task at sea or in a sheltered anchorage/marina, the former is just more time consuming and leaves you with a lot more bruises!I use a climbing harness and wooden step, each connected with short ropes to ascendeuers or prussic loops, so I can self-lift, whilst Lesley just tails a safety line; perhaps it's just me, but I've no problem with a floating boat, but always feel unnerved when I'm obliged to climb one that's ashore in a cradle.
I did note the comment "...prospect of mechanical failure would have made me twitchy..." and must say it scares me when I see people just clip their bosun's chair (bloody awful things) or harness onto a halyard using the snap shackle and/or use the spinnaker halyard that's running over a block which is just riveted to the mast face at the top: I always climb a halyard that runs over the masthead sheaves and tie onto the safety line using a bowline; similarly the halyard I'm climbing whilst tightened over a winch is secured/tied-off at both ends.
 
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Ex-SolentBoy said:
Another reason. Changing the deck flood light.
I weigh 100kg, my wife weighs 50kg. Only sensible approach is I winch her up.
Click to expand...

That's the beauty of the Mastclimb (Mastclimber, Mastclimba) The person doing the climbing (me) does all the work while Jill tails the chair halyard and lowers me down when it's all over. Although she is perfectly capable of inspection for cracks, breaks, chafe, etc., she would draw the line at anything electrical.
 
Halcyon Yachts said:
So many reasons, many have already been mentioned...

We would go up before delivering a yacht to check everything is as it should be. Once we received a new boat for delivery that had no split pins in the rigging! Glad that was spotted before we set sail!

Here is a photo taken mid Atlantic - delivering a Contest 42 back from Antigua.

Liv+up+mast.JPG


I prefer a climbing harness with a safety line (additional halyard). Usually the lightest goes up and the strongest tails!

Pete
Click to expand...

Jeez, that is one good reason to have a mobo:eek: and I am used to heights, being a roofer.
 
It always feels about ten times higher when you are up there.

When you finally get back to the deck, knees like jelly, you look aloft and feel like a right wimp.
 
vyv_cox said:
That's the beauty of the Mastclimb (Mastclimber, Mastclimba) The person doing the climbing (me) does all the work while Jill tails the chair halyard and lowers me down when it's all over. Although she is perfectly capable of inspection for cracks, breaks, chafe, etc., she would draw the line at anything electrical.
Click to expand...

I have not told her about these devices for obvious reasons!
 
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