Headsail halyard swivel stuck stuck 40 foot up aaahhhhh

[noswellplease]

Was measuring the forestay length with a tape connected to the halyard to measure for a new sail when the unthinkable happened. I thought the tape was strong enough but it was windy and it wasn't. Any clever chappie got a brainwave idea I could use to retrieve the halyard and swivel bar the obvious monkey business...would be much appreciated.

 

[cliff]

Drain cleaning rods with a hook on the end? - might be to flexible though.

Think it is a case of using another halyard to go up the mast or drop the mast!
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
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[lenseman]

[ QUOTE ]
Any ........ chappie got a brainwave idea I could use to retrieve the halyard and swivel bar...would be much appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

I presume it is dangling free and swinging about in the breeze?

You need to make a device similar to the 4-foot pole used by dog-handlers when dealing with dangerous dogs. This has a loop which goes around the dogs neck and can be tightened.

Attach to a spare halyard using a timber-hitch (and sticky tape as well). The noose end needs to be at least two-thirds from the halyard fixing point.

On the shorter end of this pole, (one third from the halyard fixing) a control cable/rope needs to be attached so that when aloft, you can position the 'catcher pole'.

The catching loop must also be able to be controlled (pulled tight) from the deck of your yatch.

Once you have lassood the errant halyard, tighten noose and haul down. If not successful you can repeat

 

[EdWingfield]

Bribe a lightweight daredevil son or grandson to be hauled up in the bosuns chair

 

[William_H]

Make a hook of aluminium sheet attached to the end of a long pole cut a deep vee into the end of the sheet al such that if you snag the end of the halyard it will pull into the vee. fit it on the end of a handle long enough or as long as practical then go up a ladder or part way on a halyard. Wider the vee the easier it will be to snag. good luck olewill

 

[noswellplease]

My own son did the job last year but he is away and the weather so bad lately I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy...thanks anyway

 

[trouville]

Some years ago i lost my halyard which i was useing to hoist an antenna it happend twice!! After that i fitted a dedicated line on a loop.

What i did was look for bamboo sticks which i found around the harbour and some i cut i lashed 5 or 6 together lashed a large metal hook to the end then pushed it up the mast useing the mast track to stop it swaying about.

When the hook was at the same hight i slowly moved it towards the quick release shackel and after several attempts got it!!

A lot of work for a silly thing!!! Its not that hard but anything but light bamboo was to heavy and unweildy

 

[pandos]

I did the same trick this summer. I used a cheap wire stripper/ crimper taped and tiewrapped onto the spinaker halyard, both ends of whish were tied together. Then lay down on the deck with the binoculors using one foot and one hand it is very easy to manouver the crimpers around. ( the reason for the crimper is that its length gives it some stability)

Much easier that it sounds.

Hope this helps.

tony

 

[mainmarine]

I used a carbon fibre fishing pole, cost about a tenner, you need to stiffen the top bit though, as it flops about a bit, tape some stiff wire to it. mine reached 24ft, but I think you can get longer ones, or add a boat hook, or some plastic waste pipe to it.

 

[smeaks]

If the lower swivel is still in place try rigging a snare around the forestay foil. attach this to another halyard and pull it up around the errant foil swivel, tighten the snare and try and pull down the offending kit..... just a thought mind you could end up with two lost halyards!

 

[waterboy]

Several years ago at Poole Town Quay one bank holidyay weekend, a late night party was being held in the cockpit of a charter boat in the raft ahead of me. Around midnight, the chap on the boat outboard of the charter boat asked the charter crew if they could turn down the noise as he had an early start and needed some sleep. Scant attention was paid to this request and the party carried on for a few hours more.

The following morning saw the outboard boat gone and the charter boat crew trying to work out why there was so much rope lying around the cockpit.

Yes, every conceivable halyard had been pulled through to the masthead. Did they get any help or sympathy from nearby boats? No.