Getting someone to shin up mast? - IOW Cowes

I don't belittle the tragedy, nor the suffering of the family, but it would seem someone screwed up VERY badly if this is correct

[FONT=&quot]According to the local newspaper, Jamaica Observer, Bethany suffered the fall after the ropes which were tying her to the yacht’s mast came undone.[/FONT]

Sad as it is, it's a one-off. If you're going to let that incident stop you going up the mast - or using a sensible teenager to do masthead work with sensible precautions, you'd better stop said teenager crossing the road, an action that kills far more people every year.
 
Stemar said:
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Sad as it is, it's a one-off. If you're going to let that incident stop you going up the mast - or using a sensible teenager to do masthead work with sensible precautions, you'd better stop said teenager crossing the road, an action that kills far more people every year.
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Only because a lot more teenagers cross a lot more roads.
 
Balbas said:
Think about the loads going through your mast whilst you're sailing. Enough to drive the boat forward at x knots and heel her over to y degrees. If you are genuinely so chunky you're worried about breaking your mast you might want to see a doctor!
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I did and they gave me a year to live. Then I had surgery to put me on the way back.
Sometimes people do have genuine reasons to worry about things you know.
 
Stemar said:
I don't belittle the tragedy, nor the suffering of the family, but it would seem someone screwed up VERY badly if this is correct

According to the local newspaper, Jamaica Observer, Bethany suffered the fall after the ropes which were tying her to the yacht’s mast came undone.

Sad as it is, it's a one-off. If you're going to let that incident stop you going up the mast - or using a sensible teenager to do masthead work with sensible precautions, you'd better stop said teenager crossing the road, an action that kills far more people every year.
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You are missing the point. If you pay someone to do a job they should both be suitably qualified and trained to do the work and insured should the worst happen. You have a duty of care to ensure this is so.
Teenagers are invincible. Did we all know that when we were that age....

Climbing a mast is a high risk task even for a trained professional rigger with insurance. Screw ups happen more often than you think...
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?494359-Man-Falls-From-Yacht-Mast-Conwy-Marina
The consequences when it goes wrong are life changing for all involved.

I recently had my VHF coax and MH Whip and windex replaced by a professional. I could have had this done either by two experienced climbing/ sailing friends or another close acquaintance who specializes in high rope work maintenance and inspections. All have climbed their own masts before...

I asked them all the simple questions 1 could they do it? and 2 should the worst happen were they covered? None could give a positive answer to the second question unlike the professional Rigger.

I prefer to pay a trained and qualified professional not peanuts to a teenage monkey....
 
Christ, what did people do before insurance companies? Don't be negligent. It's that simple. Yes, you owe a duty of care to the mast ascender but the idea that, for a considerate boat owner to exercise that duty without insurance, is absurd. Take responsibility for your own actions instead of auctioning it off to others who will almost certainly worm their way out of any liability should the worst happen.
 
Just to sew up this thread (way to go with thread necro!) - I took the advice and used the fine folks at the boatyard in Cowes, nothing was too much trouble and they completed it and charged me less than they quoted.

Thanks for the steer - the forum knowledge paid off again.
 
TSB240 said:
Could you live with yourself should the worst happen to your teenage subcontractor?
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There are basic precautions that can be taken, including using a proper harness insead of a bosuns chair, seconddary safety rope, sling and carabiner for clipping in once at the top etc. it's not rocket science and done correctly, need be no more dangerous than any other part of sailing. The key is of course to do it correctly.

Your comments about insurance are mostly irrelevant, the better solution is to make sure nothing goes wrong in the first place.
 
Sorry, my bad - I used Lallows in Cowes and their cherry picker.
Really was the best advice I could have had.
 
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