Releasing rigging under tension

[lonpfs]

To get under bridges on the Norfolk Broads I have to release the forestay and front port and starboard stays by first taking the tension off by undoing the bottle screws then lowering the mast with a block and tackle arrangement. Raising the mast requires re-tensioning via the bottle screws.
Just wondered if there was a method / hardware for quick releasing and re-fastening rigging under tension? Its a 26ft Snapdragon

 

[Hermit]

Hi, what you need is a Highfield Lever. Available from all good riggers /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Goldie]

I used to have a Dutch 27 footer which I owned whilst working over there. She was fitted with a tabernacle, the aft lowers were on extended chainplates so that the point of attachment was in line with the pivot point on the tabernacle and the forestay and forward lowers were tensioned on pelican hooks. When I first bought her, she also had an 'A' frame arrangement which meant that I could lower the mast to almost horizontal and back up again, on my own, in about 3 minutes. The Dutch have (or had!) mast lowering to a fine art.

 

[santeana]

Welcome! On one of my earliest visits to The Broads in the early 60s there was a longish - 20+ft or so - half decker at Acle. She was a gaff cutter and the forward shrouds had a sort of highfield lever arrangement - similar to how many removeable inner stays are set-up today. May work for you?
For the reason you state a lot of the traditional 'Broads yachts don't have forward stays - possibly won't work for you.
Cheers, Ron

 

[William_H]

I also have to release tension on the forestay on my boat for lowering for going under bridges. Being a fractional rig it only has a forestay. I constructed a highfield lever from scraps of SS plate. ie pieces about 25cms long and 25 to 30 mm wide of about 3 mm thickness. You need 5 pieces.
I can give you more details if you want. The trick is to make one out of cardboard to get the dimensions right so that it will replace your bottle screws. Fortunately my forestay had a thimble and eye rather than swaged screw on the bottom end. If you want to keep the bottle screw adjustment you will have to shorten the forestay to fit the lever in.

You might get away with pelican hooks for the forward intermediate stays but I don't think pelican hooks are that easy to get tension on.

The beauty of the highfield especially for the forestay is that you can attach it to the forestay easily and you then have a safe connection before you apply the tension.

Having said that we all in our club have to set up for mast lowering due to bridges. Your boat is small compared to some.
Many people simply attach the jib or spin halyard to the deck at the bow and crank on halyard tension until they can remove or refit the clevis pin at the bottom or top of the bottle screw on the forestay. But it seems a bit brutal to me and only works if you don't have much static stay tension. PM me with email address I think I might have a diagam. olewill

 

[Guest]

Highfield levers and similar are great tools for backstays etc. - but are generally too long for a forestay etc. where you also want to rig your genny reasonably low down.

So what we need is a method of taking up tension of the forestay by another line ... then quick release forsestay ... either by pelican hook or other shorter fitting.

I have similar problem ... but also have furling gear on forestay - which adds to the complexity of solution. So far I haven't been able to sort it other than the bottle screw route.

So I have a question - with present system ... how do you steady the mast from going side to side ? I assume your cap shrouds and side lowers are not at taberbnacle height and you have a solid large mast tabernacle to help ? Do you rely on the taberbnacle or do you strop the lowers to tension up ?

 

[KenMcCulloch]

Many years ago I had a Yeoman 20' daysailer. That is a design originally conceived for the Broads although widely sailed on the sea. She had a cunning arrangement with a 3:1 purchase under the foredeck to tension the forestay and the mast in a tabernacle. We don't have much call for mast lowering in the Forth but it was an effective arrangement.

 

[William_H]

I had a little pilgimage down to the boat today to get some photos of highfield lever. (flushed with photo success from previous post)

I realise it is not much good for roll em up jibs but I find with the sail tack at the bow the highfield does not interfere with hank on jibs.
Mine is precisely the same size as the original bottle screw.

Now Nigel supporting the mast sideways a good question. The best way is with mast head rig where cap shrouds are abeam the mast. You make up an extended chain plate stayed foreward so that cap shroud pivots precisely in line with mast pivot. Shroud stay tight all the way down.
With a fractional rig with chain plates aft of abeam the mast the shrouds go slack as soon as mast goes back. I use a couple of clamps on the shrouds about 1metre up and an adjustable tacckle one each side and haul this point on the shrouds forward as the mast goes down to keep em both tensioned. (although in practice I stand on the cabin top and try to guide the mast into a crutch as fast as possible and likewise haul up as fast as possible hoping that passing stink boats don't upset everything)(fairly light 27ft mast)
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A new idea around here is to use another 2 poles which pivot at a critical point on the gunwhale towards the stern. The 2 poles meet together at a slide which runs up the mainsail track. So as the mast goes down this slide goes up the track (with the aid of a halyard) to have a solid sideways support all the way down to a point where the mast is perhaps 30degrees from horizontal (hopefully low enough for bridge) where the poles may even suffice as a support but in any case run from the gunwhale up to the top of the mast.
It has been suggested this system poles on the slider may even be able to push the mast upright if you pull the slider down to the gooseneck. the geometry is such that you get more power when the mast is low with less as the mast approaches vertical where siimple tackle on the forestay talkes over. But I havn't seen it done.

Photos of the highfield. Yes that is seagull crap on it. second photo half open. it gives an extension of about 6 inches. olewill

 

[Hardley]

If you have a back stay, make sure it is slackened right off, you should then be able to pull the pin or release the shackle on the fore stay, most boats on the Broads do not require the shrouds to be released at all.
I would suggest you have a look at and talk to owners of Broads boats to see how they lower their masts, Pegasus owners usually are able to lower and raise their masts whilst shooting the bridges.
It is a good idea to fit tangs to the shrouds so that they can pivot fore and aft and athawtships, this prevents bending the bottle screws when raising the mast.