Losing your rig

[StellaGirl]

Out racing at weekend in Christchurch Bay and one of our fleet lost its rig (in very slow motion) all due to a loose clevis pin)
The couldnt get the sails off but they wern't hanging over the side so they motored back. The funniest site though had to be the bowman climbing up the mast using a ladder and 2 crew supporting it on deck....once they were tied up alongside of course!
So how would you get your sails down in such a situation?!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Stella,

What actually got broken in the end?

 

[StellaGirl]

The mast snapped above the second set of spreaders

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Whoops.

 

[DJE]

Been dismasted once in a Bull 7000 24' sportsboat. We were in Chichester Harbour, the racing was cancelled because it was too rough to get out over the bar so we went out for a bit of practice in the harbour. The forestay fitting failed on the fancy pivoting bowsprit and the whole rig, including spinaker, went over the side.

Sportsboats have the happy combination of light rig and heavy crew so we anchored and hoiked the whole lot back on deck. The sails came off fairly easily as the mast was still in one piece. then we just tidied up and motored home.

 

[Thrall]

Reminds me of a time long past when I was in my teens and the racing was cancelled at Granton on the Forth and no other boats out. Three up, we took an Enterprise out on a fast and furious reach in a force six. Halfway over to Burntisland on the other side, we managed to tack without incident but noticed shortly after that the cotter pin had fallen out of the lee chainplate allowing the shroud to fly far to leeward! Somehow we managed to struggle back a good two miles and into the harbour on forestay and windward shroud only before being backwinded by the pier and having the whole rig fall over, to be towed ashore by some compassionate mobo.
In retrospect, much of what I did in my youth, sailing or otherwise, is not at all what I would like to think that my own offspring were doing, but I expect it´s always been like that!

Daði

 

[Strathglass]

Great thing a deck stepped mast, isn't it.

I snapped a wooden gaffed rigged, keel stepped mast at the deck. I was out single handed in a 5+ and was a bit late with the runner after a tack.

That was just north of Granton at Dalgety bay.

Iain

 

[Thrall]

Hello Forth sailor Iain! Amazing the distances we used to go in mixed
weather in open dinghies on the sometimes bumpy Forth. Farthest east I got was Dysart, ten miles each way, west to Port Edgar, and often round Inchkeith, sometimes even singlehanded.

Probably a law against it today.

Wonder why I´m still around.

Daði