Main halliard hooked round the front...

[DeeGee]

Main halliard got hooked round the radar reflector up in front of the mast. Due to careless allowing of slack in the halliard when wind from aft. Now, this happened before, and I ended up with a catapult to send a messenger line from in front of the mast to behind so as to pull the halliard forward, etc etc. It happened yesterday when I went out looking for the Route du R fleet, and I cant find the catapult /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Am I the only mug to have done this (twice now), or has someone come up with a more elegant solution /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[dulcibella]

Done it twice myself (also on a Rustler 36!). The only effective solution on both occasions was to send my lighter partner up on the topping lift to sort it out.

 

[ChrisE]

Aha, I have the solution for you. Put a fender on the halyard and tie in an endless loop, ie detach from main and tie one end of fender tie other end of halyard to the other end of the fender. Pull fender up to offending snag and let the rocking of the boat do the job for you. You can help it along a bit by flicking from the bottom but usually the weight of the fender aloft and little bit of movement in the water is sufficient to free the thing.

You might ask how I know this.....

 

[steve_cronin]

It happened ofet two boats ago but I've had internal halyards on the last two so it doesn't happen.

Mine used to get caught around the wrongly positioned steaming light/spreader light.

Steve cronin

 

[Ruffles]

Happened to me twice.

Caused by insufficient tension on the halyard when the main is down combined with a lumpy sea. Not the sort of conditions I would want to be going up the mast. I thought adding lazy jacks would have reduced the chances - seems not since my reflector is above the attachment point.

I guess at a pinch I could hoist the main on the topping lift but then the boom would be flopping about wiping out the crew.

Are there any brackets that can be attached to the mast above and below the radar reflector?

 

[kengill]

Take the spinnaker halyard bring it baack to the mast and lower the main so you can get at the halyard. Feed the end of the sinnaker halyard inside the main and walk forward with thw spi halyard pull the kink up so it runs up the main halyardand over the offending halyard. It comes free in a jiffy. then tighten the main so it doesn't do it again and unthread the spi halyard and secure.

I confess this brilliant method is my crew's solution - not mine!!

 

[Ruffles]

Brilliant solution.

Not sure it would work for me because the reflector is only about a meter above the spreaders. I think the fender would stick before it got to the reflector.

 

[Ruffles]

Same problem with the spreader I think though I might have to make a model to be sure.

Heads for the stationary cupboard...

 

[michael_w]

That solution is very clever. Must remember it!

 

[ChrisE]

Trust me it does! It is more to do with the weight aloft rather than getting the fender around the problem. What happens as the fender ascends is that it girates outside of the tight arc that you can assert from below. The fender only needs to get 2/3 the way up if there is any kind of sea running.

You might, again, ask me how I know.....

 

[jimi]

Does'st it damage the guitar? Would'nt you be better using a small disposable banjo rather than a Fender?

 

[DeeGee]

Whaouw, as they say out here. I really like this. Will go and try this afternoon. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jimi]

Practice with a paper cut out one first, no point in wrecking a perfectly good one!

 

[DeeGee]

Chris, I have already thought that Vitalman's solution has a great chance of working, and is pretty simple. Should it not work, I will certainly try yours.

I am amazed that I thought of neither of these elegant solutions, being normally quite brilliant at covering up my mistakes. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

The fender has an extra possibility in that even if it doesnt directly de-snag, I think there is enough slack in the main to get it to lower the wrong side of the spreader in order to enable wiggling. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ChrisE]

I forgot to say that it works even better if you send a small Jock up the line instead of a fender. Doesn't matter if the Jock falls off, but a fender.....

 

[jhr]

"A small jock":

I have found that Litesome provide excellent results.

 

[jimi]

ey lad ey, A small jockey would be much better epecially on a rustler cos he could gallop off into the sunset playing Apache on the fender!

 

[Ruffles]

I think it would work for me too. Probably best with a small fender (Uke?) and light cord. Mousing line would be ideal.

 

[ChrisE]

Bagpipes would probably also work.

 

[CraigB]

You're not the only one. In fact, we now have two short lines at the level of the radar reflector which are tied from mast to shroud, which prevent any halyard from looping around at that point.

At the time, I did come up with about half a dozen crazy ideas for freeing the trapped halyard. I think my favourite one, particularly good if you are at sea, was to raise your ensign on the halliard to the level of the reflector, then turn your ship to face downwind, then turn again to free the halyard. The drag on the ensign should pull the halyard away from the mast.