Dropping and raising masts more

William_H

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There have often been questions on dropping and raising masts (deck stepped) so I have finally some photos. We had our club annual ocean race to Rottnest Island from Fremantle on Saturday. There were about 20 sail boats and 20 Mobo participants with a barbecue presentation on the beach at Rottnest with 190 people. Anyway of the 20 yachts only 3 are able to go under the road and rail bridges without dropping the mast. It entails a trip about 2 miles down river,with mast down and about .5 mile to go under 3 bridges before raising again with no where to stop in the harbour. ( security)
I found myself in the middle of a line of 7 boats all in the dishevelment of motoring with mast down and thought some folks might like to see a photo. The boat on the right a 21 fter the one on the left 24fter, both mast head rig. A 28 ft Spirit was ahead also mast head. All use 2 spinnacker poles as a jib or gin pole to improve the angle when pulling on the forestay to raise and lower. Because there is a about 22 ft of air draft we all use a fairly tall crutch arrangement at the stern so masts are usually lowered to about 30 degrees from horozontal. I can do it without removing boom at the gooseneck
The second photo inadvertantly shows an inovation I use to retain tension on the sidestays of the fractional rig when the mast is down. ( to stop sway) I use a cable clamp on the stay to which is attached a rope which runs forward to a pulley on the gunwhale then back to a cleat in the cockpit. It is tightened as the mast goes down to maintain tension on either side.



Please don't read further if you are alergic to Ozzies bragging about weather etc..
I manged to get wifey to come with me as just the two of us, she thinks we should have more able crew for adventures. We elected to do a shorter course for jibs and mains sailors as this is direct to the island 10Nm compared to the proper race of about 20Nm. The start was in 20 knots of Easterly a land breeze in quite lumpy water. Thats after sailing around for 50 minutes waiting for the start. We heeaded off at 7 knots with one reef and no 3 jib on Howzat a light weight 21 ft trailer sailer. I must say with a fin keel and fin rudder it was not easy to steer with large sea from aft quarter tending to round up going down the waves. anyway after about 40 minutes the wind dropped and were going very slowly with main slatting from side to side in the swell. Not at all pleasant. The temperaure was in low 30s and for a while we could occasionally feel a cool breeze on the face without seeing any effect in the sails by then we had no1 genoa and taken the reef out. One of the opposition got past us before we pulled out the reef and genoa when the sea breeze did finally arrive from the South West and we finished at about 3 knots sailing past Phillip Rock into Thompsons bay.
We sailed near the shore and dropped an old Admiralty pattern anchor into the weed and raised the rudder keel and using the O/B managed to drag the stern in to a point where I could jump out and take a stern anchor Danforth onto the beach. From there we could drag the boat in stern to the wind and beach till we could go ashore in ankle deep water. A pleasant afternoon was spent greeting the other sailors as they mostly tied up to jetties. The island is described as being very much like Greece with stone and brick buildings all painted an orange brown and everything dry.
The island is owned by the state government and totally given over to tourism with no private houses or cars. I was bit stunned by the 5 quid per head landing fee but facilities are excellent with showers and toilets in many places along the beach. They have 2000 daytrippers each day in the summer and even more in the rental accomadation. Almost everone rides bicycles or walks and the pub has a quaint sign insisting the men wear shoes and a shirt.
The club barbecue was in a dedicated barbecue area with toilets and showers just up from the beach where my boats flopped about in the small waves.
We retired to the boat for the night. I pulled it out a few metres on the admiralty anchor and eased the shore anchor. It seemed to sheer around a fair bit and we were nearly asleep about 12.30 am when bump we were on the bottom. A dash to the bow showed the bow anchor line had parted.
There was a mooring buoy not far out and wifey volunteered to swim the rope out to tie onto the buoy. She had swim fins and a mask. So with torch in hand she got the rope onto the buoy and we pulled the boat out to the swing mooring and let out all the shore line. I did feel sorry for her(53yo). from near asleep into bathing costume into the water back onto the boat via a step on the transom, dry off and back into bed. Yes she even found the anchor the next morning.
I can't figure out what happened to the anchor rope,. An old piece of polypropelene which parted or was cut as neat as you like. Possibly by a passing tender with outboard. It was floating on the surface some distance. Says a lot for chain.
Any way sail home early the next morning was in strong 25knots of south Westerly a beam reach at 6 knots with no 3 jib and reef again. Very wet in large swell from Africa. In through the harbour, down with the mast and up again I can do it alone if she steers the boat. It was good to be home again.
This little adventure is probably ho hum to many but thought some might like to read of the adventures in a tiny boat. This is almost the end of the season for us so you in UK can all look forward to lots of good sailing this coming summer. olewill
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supermalc

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Enjoyed reading your little story and the pictures William. I'm no sailer, do my boating on the river, but planning a fishing trip or two into the Wash...from Boston UK. Need a very calm day for myself. Had to cancel last year due to circumstances.

My stories http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/malcsworld/ or http://geocities.com/malcsworld/

apologies for pupups etc. but small price to pay for free webspace.
 

Gordonmc

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Thanks for taking the trouble with the words and pics. A good reminder of the pleasures to be had, despite the minor problems like lost anchors and choppy water.
Now we need to know how you persuaded wifey to get into the water in the middle of the night and swim to that bouy. If it was voluntary does she have a sister?
 

Talbot

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Twin spinaker poles are a good way of providing some control over the sideways movement of the mast, but in a sea way would initially do little to stabilise this. My 9m cat has a different solution that may be of interest.

I have a tabernacle with the pivot point abt 70cm from the heel. My main shrouds have a stainless steel extension to the chain plates that extend vertically to the same height as the pivot point on the tabernacle. Thus the shrouds can be left attached, but de-tensioned throughout the task of raising and lowering the mast, and provide the lateral stability. I have a 2m pole that attaches to the bottom of the mast (using the fitting at the base of the mast, that is later used for a long bolt through the mast and tabernacle to provide a rigid connection fore/aft and side/side through the tabernacle). This long pole is attached by wire to the top of the chain plates extension to provide lateral stability and is secured to the top of the mast by the genoa halliard and spinnaker line. The bottom of the pole is attached by a purchase of some type (normally the main sheets - but I rig a line back to the genoa winches) and this is used to raise the mast.

A heavyweight solution perhaps, but the mast on a 9m cat is much sturdier than that on a half boat and needs to be under control at all times during this manoeuvre.

The biggest problem is once the mast is lowered it needs to be moved forward, and I am getting too old to do that anymore, so the last time the mast was raised was by crane.
 

William_H

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Re: Dropping and raising masts more

Thanks Talbot may be a misunderstanding the twin spin po0les don't support the mast sideways at all only support themselves. Yes the system of rigid extension of the chainplate to in line with the pivot point is common however on a fractional rig like mine the stays are way aft of a beam the mast so go very slack as mast goes back. i use the rope on the stays to pull them foreward and tight. Don't bemoan a heqavy mast on a cat you need it. Yes it is a worry having all that mast hanging out the back with the balqance point way aft. Try backing up to a high wharf or jetty and getting someone to lift the top end from the wharf when disconnecting from the tabernacle and carrying forward.
Wife did volunteer mainly cos she had fins where I go barefoot but we had swum around the area earlier in the day water was not cold and she has more bouyancy than me. thanks for the kind words will
 
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