Re rigging in the Black Sea??

[DoubleEnder]

I plan in 2023 to do a spot of crewing on a very well found 42 foot motorsailer, here in the UK coastal waters. The owner later plans to cruise some of the inland European waterways, and will remove the mast for storage in the UK before crossing the channel. I think he will then return via the same route. But we were chatting and he has said he'd like to go down the Danube, reinstall the rig somewhere down on the Black Sea and sail back to the UK via the Mediterranean. A Bold Plan!

I have read but no longer own "Back Door to Byzantium' but I can't remember how they managed. I think they carried their rig on deck. I do not think 'my' owner wants to do that, and I can understand why.

Also the world has changed since the Coopers' wrote that, so I have no idea how this might work, if you could get insurance for example.... Is the Black Sea still 'open' ? heheheh

But on a rainy day in the dead bit between Christmas and New Year it's an interesting subject, maybe? Who could transport a 17 metre rig from the Channel to .... I don't even know where?

Feel free to ignore me

Happy New Year everyone. I shall greet 2023 with the light, carefree step of a man who owns no boat, but probably not for long

 

[Mudisox]

My dream when bored, but at present SWMBO has vetoed it! Have done lots of research coming in from the Rhine at Strasbourg.
Insurance issue solved by only going TPF&Theft. Mast down at Rouen and carried.

 

[Motor_Sailor]

I plan to enter the Rhine at Strasbourg and carry my mast.

Apparently for my height of mast (13m) the last bridge of concern is quite a long way up the river in Bulgaria. There's a Motorboat club with a crane just after this bridge that can raise a mast of this size.

 

[DoubleEnder]

I plan to enter the Rhine at Strasbourg and carry my mast.

Apparently for my height of mast (13m) the last bridge of concern is quite a long way up the river in Bulgaria. There's a Motorboat club with a crane just after this bridge that can raise a mast of this size.

Understood. I’d love to do it!
But I do know that my owner is very set on not carrying his rig with him. Several suppliers who will take a mast by road from the Channel, N Sea or Baltic ports down to French or Italian Mediterranean ports. I’m just wondering:

1/. Where would you send the mast to have it refitted for Black Sea sailing? What’s the location of that motor boat club, for example?
2/. Who might be able to do the job?
3/. Anyone here ever done something like this?

anyway this is all highly theoretical and I’m off to the pub.
See you next year!

 

[Motor_Sailor]

Well your best bet is to contact Yacht Club Ruse which is at Km 496.
Either: Yacht club Ruse or http://danube.superruse.com/

I have various clearances for the Danube Bridge just below the club (Km 488.7), 14.4m closed and 21.8m open. But Wikipedia says 100ft! But all those are more than I need so I plan to put the mast up there.
The bridges at Cernavoda are definitely higher at 25m.