Spinnaker pole topping lift up the mast

[Don107]

Hi all
Yesterday i lost the spinnaker pole topping lift up the mast (the block is mounted at spreader height) but i managed to get it back down this afternoon with a couple of lengths of electrical conduit and a wire hook that lives in our dinghy shed

This got me thinking that if i tied a knot in the topping lift so it would stop at the block in a position just above horizontal on the pole if it if the topping lift was hoisted when it was not connected to the pole which was what happened yesterday it would stop within reach of the boat hook

I would tie it just above the position where the number 1 arrow is in the image below

Is there any reason that this would not work

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Regards Don

 

[westhinder]

Think it would serve its purpose.
You know that a knot reduces the strength of the line, but as it only supports the pole, I do not think the forces on the topping lift would be anywhere near the reduced breaking strain.

 

[awol]

No reason why it wouldn't work but as halyards have the same, if not more, proclivity to disappear skywards would it not be better to encourage the foredeck monkey to be more careful with strings in general.

 

[awol]

2nd thought - what was it doing loose anyway? My topping lift gets attached when the spinnaker lines are rigged and doesn't get removed until the boat is being tidied up.

 

[Topcat47]

I really had to have a thunk about this. I have stopper knots on all my running rigging so how would topping lifts and uphauls go so far as to be unreachable? Then I twigged, it's the "other end" that went walk-about. As Snark has a roller reefing Genoa and a slab reefed main, these Halyards are more of less permanantly connected. When using my Parasail, The Halyard is in my hand from the moment I unclip it from ring on the mast until it's clipped on the sail . of Course, all these ropes terminated in either a snap shackle or a Witchard hook so there's no fiddling about with shackle pins. I might consider adding a mousing tail though so it can be grabbed if it takes a flyer.

 

[Don107]

No reason why it wouldn't work but as halyards have the same, if not more, proclivity to disappear skywards would it not be better to encourage the foredeck monkey to be more careful with strings in general.

Hi Awol

I was the foredeck monkey and it was my stuff up

What happened was we were racing and i hoisted the head sail and dropped the spinnaker and i took the pole down and sat it on the foredeck (on my boat everything apart from the sheets is at the base of the mast so it is quite busy there)

I then noticed that the windward headsail sheet was around the pole and i removed the topping lift to sort it out before we tacked

I then went down in the cabin to repack the spinnaker and forget to reconnect the topping lift to the pole and when we were about to hoist the spinnaker again one of the other crew came forward to give to me a hand and i connected the beak of the pole to the mast ring and lifting the pole and he pulled on the topping lift and it went up the mast

I am careful with halyards to make sure they are connected but forget about checking that the topping lift was connected as we don't normally have to disconnect it

We hoisted the spinnaker anyway and i stood on the foredeck and held the pole up for the duration of the leg which was ok when it was blowing but the wind was a bit patchy it it was hard work supporting the pole when the breeze dropped out

Regards Don

 

[Yngmar]

Only downside I can think of is you lose the use of the pole lift for hauling other things up the mast, e.g. launching dinghy from deck or retrieving MOB. As long as you're aware of that and have other halyards for those purposes, you should be fine. Do use a non-binding knot though (e.g. figure eight, not overhand).

 

[Daydream believer]

I have sewn a plastic golf ball (nicked from the wife) into my pole topping lift. This because I also use the line as a MOB hoist & in a panic it would be quite possible for someone in the cockpit to pull the halyard before the MOB was hooked on or someone might just drop the end & this stops it flying out of reach. It still allows enough for a pole hoist ( if i had one that is) A knot would reduce its strength & be difficult to release after a couple of seasons

 

[William_H]

I have had much success with mounting my pole up the side of the mast. A spin pole ring is screwed on the side of the mast near the bottom for the beak to fit into and plastic pole clips (2) hold the pole in place. Now this is a light weight pole. But the advantage is that pole is always attached to the topping lift so can't lose topping lift or pole.
Yes your idea of a knot in the topping lift near the sheave box is good. olewill

 

[awol]

I then noticed that the windward headsail sheet was around the pole and i removed the topping lift to sort it out before we tacked

"Aye, and there's the rub" - it was dinned into me to keep the windward sheet over the pole. Even if it got dropped during the gybe, undo the stopper and get it over the pole ASAP. It is the sad lot of the foredeck that any small foul-up is hideously obvious while the lazy sods at the back get away with everything.