Mast removal - French canals

[chasroberts]

As we are off on the big adventure very soon (but much later than planned!) I would appreciate any up to date info on the best places/costs to have our mast unstepped in the Honfleur/Seine area.

All replies and thoughts greatly appreciated.

Chas Roberts

<hr width=100% size=1>Semper in excretum sum. Sole profundum variat!

 

[jerryat]

Hi Chas,

We had our mast dropped in Honfleur about 4 years ago at the end of a trip back from Sete. We chose there in preference to Rouen where the crane looked like it would be our mast doing the lifting! Dreadful state and the subject of a couple of horror stories published in the yotty mags.

Honfleur was excellent (as I'm told Le Havre also is) and very efficient. Moor up against the wall to starboard shortly after clearing the lock and check in with the harbourmaster. Nice chap who'll direct you through the swing bridge (I think it swings but it might lift, can't remember!) and you moor up alongside a wall with an adjacent grassy bank The crane is organised by the chap in the chandler's which is a short walk away and is (or was) done on a cash basis as a sideline for the crane driver/chandler.

I was a bit wary about this (insurance and all that) but the crane driver had definitely done it all loads of times before and was excellent. As far as I can recall it was about £45.00 or £50.00 cash in his hand and off he went. He provides all the slings etc and insists on using them and not yours. Our mast was up in less than 15 minutes totally under control and with no panics.

A super added benefit to having the mast raised/lowered here, is that the surroundings are far nicer IMHO, than the cramped and noisy town centre marina, AND, we were not charged a penny (I mean centime) for our entire stay!! But don't tell anyone else!!!

Final thought, if you are going up the Seine, leaving from Honfleur allows you MUCH more time with the flood tide than leaving from Le Havre and going along the canal link to the Seine.

Hope this lot helps, but please bear in mind that all the above was around 4 years ago and things may have changed.

Hope eveything goes well for you.

Good sailing!

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[William_H]

For a suggestion completely different have you considered puting a hinge in the mast before you leave so that the entire operation can be done yourself. Here at Fremantle we have bridges at about 7 metre clearance above water. We have ocean racing 70 footers who go under the bridges for ocean races but normally operate shore side of the bridges. I am guessing your boat is 10.5 metres so has a fairly heavy mast. It is common practice here on boats your size to lower the mast on the run and pull it up on the other side. They either use a cabin top stepped mast hinge or if it is a keel stepped mast a hinge is put in the mast about .5metre above the cabin top. Assuming yours is a keel stepped mast the mast is cut through at about 45degrees low side to the stern. flat plates of Al are welded to both surfaces which extend on the forward side to accomadate two bolts to bolt it together. at the aft end a pivot is fabricated around a athwartships axle. You may also have provision for bolts here also to make a firm join. With the bolts removed the mast can pivot down beyond horizontal with boom removed.
You need an A frame here people use 2 spinnacher poles attached to pivots on the side deck so that the poles meet and attach to the forstay just above the turnscrew. A fitting is needed so that a tackle about 4 to one can attach to the bow near the forstay attachment to the forstay to pull it down in tension so the clevis pin can be removed this means the mast can be lowered on this tackle and the poles keep the angle of pull such that you can control the descent or lift it up again. Obviously the tackle teads back to a halyard winch.
The next problem is to maintain tension on the cap shrowds as the mast descends. One way is to attach tackle to a point on the stays say a metre above the deck which pulls that point forwardAn attachment about 1 metre forward of the chain plate should suffice. As you lower the mast retension these 2 tackles to keep the stays tight and the mast supported if the boat rolls in wash.
If you have a mast head rig where the cap shrowds are abeam the mast then many people here fit a solid section of SS onto the chain plate itself stayed forward about 1 metre. so that the stay is attached and pivots exactly in a line through the mast pivot the stay stays tensioned throughout the traverse down. So this is the set up here for a bridge say 6 metres clearance the mast is lowered into a wooden A fram at the transom attached to the pushpit so that when down it is very stable. If the mast is lowered to about 30 degrees from horozontal only it is not as heavy to klift as if it were horozontal. If it is right down low on a support the spinnacher poles now facing skyward can be lowered by hand and stowed. This is however not ideal as there is a lot of strain trying to lift the mast base up because there will be more mast hanging out the back than forward of your transome support. It may be ok for a bridge then raise it again but for long term you need to remove and stow the mast on deck ie disconnect the base and slide it forward.
This part may prove too difficult for you and partner depending on the weight of the mast. One trick is to moor next to a high wharf swing the bow out a little so that one person can stand on the wharf and lift the mast top. With the weight taken at on near the top it is easy to disconnect the mast hinge and carry the base forward to the pulpit. The mast can be dropped back into the A frame at the transom or evan slid through the A frame as the base goes forward. You could permanently stow the top of the mast in the A frame or lower it still further. An adjustable height frame at the back may be helpful.
So it will cost a bit to get a mast rigger to fit the hinge but once done you never have to climb the mast again or hire a crane for removal etc. Yo will have to make provision for wiring of course but then you have to do that with a crane removal. i am a dedicated DIY person and would hate to have to find tradesman in a foreign port. One last tip if you do motor or sail along canals with mast up look out for power lines they won't be set up for tall masts inland. Obviously if you are thinking of this option take lots of advice it is a real pain to lower the mast but then at least you can do it. regards will

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