Mast Climbing for the old

[misterg]

Under the frequency of use that your average yottie will give to such a set-up, there is little chance of damage to the rope occurring....

Agreed, but I would urge people to be wary of the very lightweight ascenders like these:

A friend saw these sparkly trinkets in the shop when he was buying a new climbing rope and just had to have them. The first time we used them, they damaged the sheath of his new rope such that the core poked out. Rope ruined. The carabiners we were using were within the size range specified. No problem with ascenders generally - In my experience climbers in general are more aware of chafe, rope damage and knot strength than are sailors.

Andy