Mast climbing when singlehanded on the sea - is that heard off?

[AntarcticPilot]

I suppose someone should point out that going up the mast in all weather was routine in the days of sailing ships? Not that I intend to emulate them - I'm quite happy to read "Two Years Before the Mast" in the comfort of my armchair! But Dana speaks of routine sail handling on the yards of a square rigger in the gales of the Southern Ocean.

Perhaps worth noting that if a sailor lost his grip, he was either going to be smashed on deck or lost overboard with no possibility of an MOB drill, and they worked without any form of safety line?

 

[nevis768]

A lot of belay devices for abbing are self locking nowadays, you can let go with both hands safely. I use a click-up, much better than a gri gri, I don't use a prussic anymore for abbing. Via Ferrara kit is not suitable for use on a boat, or for climbing up ropes. I don't know why the OP posted those photos. I'm presently out sport climbing in France and don't even have a prussic with me, and I'll be abseiling most days on multi pitch routes.

 

[thinwater]

Everyone has a different way of rigging, and many are valid.

I find a Goblin to be very handy, both top rope soling and up and down the mast (what I actually bought it for). This and many similar devices are used in industry for work at height where hands-free up and down movement are required.

Camp Goblin

 

[DangerousPirate]

Knew a guy who did it just for the views. 38ft boat. He had mast steps, climbed up with the main up sometimes, which I found foolhardy, but seemingly worked. Only in good conditions obviously.

If it were me, I'd do it, but only with the sails down.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I suppose someone should point out that going up the mast in all weather was routine in the days of sailing ships? Not that I intend to emulate them - I'm quite happy to read "Two Years Before the Mast" in the comfort of my armchair! But Dana speaks of routine sail handling on the yards of a square rigger in the gales of the Southern Ocean.

Perhaps worth noting that if a sailor lost his grip, he was either going to be smashed on deck or lost overboard with no possibility of an MOB drill, and they worked without any form of safety line?

Perhaps noting that those people didn't sail on their own, which imho makes a big difference.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Perhaps noting that those people didn't sail on their own, which imho makes a big difference.

For the ship, yes, but for the individual no. Someone falling from the rigging of a sailing ship was dead, either from the fall or by drowning. Even in conditions that allowed it, a square rigged vessel couldn't be stopped quickly, and by the time it was stopped so a boat could be lowered, the chances of survival were extremely low. Few masters would risk their ship and crew by even trying. That's why few sailors learned to swim - it would just prolong the agony.

 

[DangerousPirate]

For the ship, yes, but for the individual no. Someone falling from the rigging of a sailing ship was dead, either from the fall or by drowning. Even in conditions that allowed it, a square rigged vessel couldn't be stopped quickly, and by the time it was stopped so a boat could be lowered, the chances of survival were extremely low. Few masters would risk their ship and crew by even trying. That's why few sailors learned to swim - it would just prolong the agony.

That's grim.

But I just meant to say: They regularly went up the masts because others kept the boat on course and so on.
Single handed you got issues like; If you get in trouble, you're on your own. The wind could change and you have to hurry down to prevent a problem, or you might spot something in the water (well, the view is great for that) and you need to make course adjustments quick. That's all problematic on your own. WIth at least one additional person, you'll be alright, as they can take over.

I don't mind climbing up a mast in a marina. I mind a little doing it at sea if someone else is steering. But totally on my own? I would not dare it, especially with sails up.

 

[Dockhead]

I may be unduly influenced by a very vague recollection of an incident (or perhaps it was a myth) some years ago that was actually a two-hander. If If I remember correctly, elderly (American?) couple nearing end of an ocean crossing, husband climbed the mast, but while up there slipped or passed out, leg trapped in rope leaving him hanging upside down and dying near the top of the mast, the woman unable to get him down, and managing to sail the boat to land with him still hanging there.

Good God!

That is a truly horrifying story.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Good God!

That is a truly horrifying story.

I just opened a thread about flags. I bet that's not approved. :S

 

[Dockhead]

I went up ships masts changing nav light lamps ... helping service radar scanners etc etc .... and HATED every inch I climbed.

Strange - as a kid - I would be up trees and didn't think anything of it .. but once I came on ship as cadet and sent up in bosuns chairs ... climbed masts - for some strange reason I was afraid of the heights.

I recently played with a Cherry Picker lift and I have to say that once I went above about 10m - I started to feel that old fear coming on ...

I cannot see myself ever climbing a mast ...

You and me both.

People are just different in this. My father loved to climb the mast. When he came on board my boat, very often the first thing he would ask was, "anything you need doing up the mast?"

Unlike my Dad, I find climbing the mast horrifying, although I do admit that together with the horror I also do experience a certain thrill. My mast is 23 metres high, and the view from the mast truck can be pretty majestic.

In recent years I've been paying a particularly talented Swedish rigger to do my "up the mast" jobs. This guy goes up on his own power with climbing gear, and is as comfortable, natural and agile as a monkey up there. Now that the boat's back in in the UK, I'm going to have to dust off the climbing harness, and finally buy that ascender which he recommended.

 

[DangerousPirate]

You and me both.

People are just different in this. My father loved to climb the mast. When he came on board my boat, very often the first thing he would ask was, "anything you need doing up the mast?"

Unlike my Dad, I find climbing the mast horrifying, although I do admit that together with the horror I also do experience a certain thrill. My mast is 23 metres high, and the view from the mast truck can be pretty majestic.

In recent years I've been paying a particularly talented Swedish rigger to do my "up the mast" jobs. This guy goes up on his own power with climbing gear, and is as comfortable, natural and agile as a monkey up there. Now that the boat's back in in the UK, I'm going to have to dust off the climbing harness, and finally buy that ascender which he recommended.

I am more like your dad. I love climbing. First time I was on a tallship, my first thought was about going aloft for the view while at sea. What a sight that would have been. They didn't let me though.

If you got a ladder and a safety on a second halyard, you'll be alright. Get a bosuns chair and you'll be comfy.

 

[Dockhead]

I suppose someone should point out that going up the mast in all weather was routine in the days of sailing ships? Not that I intend to emulate them - I'm quite happy to read "Two Years Before the Mast" in the comfort of my armchair! But Dana speaks of routine sail handling on the yards of a square rigger in the gales of the Southern Ocean.

Perhaps worth noting that if a sailor lost his grip, he was either going to be smashed on deck or lost overboard with no possibility of an MOB drill, and they worked without any form of safety line?

That's from the days when the ships were of wood, and the men were of iron.

Of no relevance to the present day.

 

[Dockhead]

I am more like your dad. I love climbing. First time I was on a tallship, my first thought was about going aloft for the view while at sea. What a sight that would have been. They didn't let me though.

If you got a ladder and a safety on a second halyard, you'll be alright. Get a bosuns chair and you'll be comfy.

Lucky guy.

Even skydiving didn't get me over my fear of heights.

And certainly a bosun's chair doesn't. You can slip right out of it. Heretofore I have always climbed with both a bosun's chair and a climbing harness, and with a safety line of course. But this requires two crew operating the two halyards.

My Swedish rigger showed me the right way to do it. With no help from anyone. No bosun's chair; just the harness, ascender, and a descender device. Prussik knot on a safety line for such as me -- my rigger doesn't use a safety line.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Lucky guy.

Even skydiving didn't get me over my fear of heights.

And certainly a bosun's chair doesn't. You can slip right out of it. Heretofore I have always climbed with both a bosun's chair and a climbing harness, and with a safety line of course. But this requires two crew operating the two halyards.

My Swedish rigger showed me the right way to do it. With no help from anyone. No bosun's chair; just the harness, ascender, and a descender device. Prussik knot on a safety line for such as me -- my rigger doesn't use a safety line.

Funny that you mention skydiving and fear of heights. I used to be really scared of heights as a child, and I decided to become a paratrooper and did my jumps. Funnily enough, it didn't stop me. Now i quite like the view and the feeling.

That's definitely a way to do. with the harness, ascender and descender and prussik knot. I seriously can vouch for the mast ladder and/or mast steps (which should be even better).

You climb up a ladder, it's easy to do, you take your regular safety gear with you, minus ascender and descender, and a bosuns chair. That's what I do. Climb up the ladder, push your prussik safety liine with you until you've reached your working height, clink the bosun's chair in, sit back and work. And when you're done you just climb the ladder back down. I personally find this a lot easier than those ascender, descender things. They are so fiddly and slow. Takes you 15 minutes just to get up, notice you forget the screwdriver and then you have to go down AND up again. Wham bam, 1 hour gone without any work done yet.

 

[Dockhead]

Funny that you mention skydiving and fear of heights. I used to be really scared of heights as a child, and I decided to become a paratrooper and did my jumps. Funnily enough, it didn't stop me. Now i quite like the view and the feeling.

That's definitely a way to do. with the harness, ascender and descender and prussik knot. I seriously can vouch for the mast ladder and/or mast steps (which should be even better).

You climb up a ladder, it's easy to do, you take your regular safety gear with you, minus ascender and descender, and a bosuns chair. That's what I do. Climb up the ladder, push your prussik safety liine with you until you've reached your working height, clink the bosun's chair in, sit back and work. And when you're done you just climb the ladder back down. I personally find this a lot easier than those ascender, descender things. They are so fiddly and slow. Takes you 15 minutes just to get up, notice you forget the screwdriver and then you have to go down AND up again. Wham bam, 1 hour gone without any work done yet.

Skydiving for me was a mixture of sheer terror and intense exhilaration. The first time the most striking thing for me was the complete silence. There's nothing quite like it. But it did not reduce my fear of heights.

Ladder sounds good but my mast is 23m high.

Forgetting tools, parts or materials -- or not anticipating what you will need -- is guaranteed in my case. I haul stuff up and down in a bucket on a spinnaker halyard.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Skydiving for me was a mixture of sheer terror and intense exhilaration. The first time the most striking thing for me was the complete silence. There's nothing quite like it. But it did not reduce my fear of heights.

Ladder sounds good but my mast is 23m high.

Forgetting tools, parts or materials -- or not anticipating what you will need -- is guaranteed in my case. I haul stuff up and down in a bucket on a spinnaker halyard.

I am sure you can get a ladder that tall. They make them in all sizes really. They're just webbing loops with sail slugs.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I had an extending latter than closed was 14 meters long so extended was almost twice that as I has a very high gable i my house i the UK

 

[Dockhead]

I am sure you can get a ladder that tall. They make them in all sizes really. They're just webbing loops with sail slugs.

I have in-mast furling so no available slot that goes all the way up. Just the storm trysail slot. So no ladder for me.

 

[Dockhead]

I had an extending latter than closed was 14 meters long so extended was almost twice that as I has a very high gable i my house i the UK

28 meters on a LADDER? Eek!

I don't much like going 23m up my mast in a climbing harness, but on a LADDER, against the side of a house? That's 10x worse.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I have in-mast furling so no available slot that goes all the way up. Just the storm trysail slot. So no ladder for me.

Couldn't you use that?