Spreader halyard

[Dyflin]

Any ideas on how I can get a halyard up to a block on the spreader without climbing the mast (spreader is just reachable with boat hook)? At the moment we just throw a light line over the spreader a couple of times and make it fast on deck, but would prefer to use the block.

 

[Gin]

Can you get alongside a scrubbing dock? as the tide drops the spreader will be reachable from there

 

[Twister_Ken]

Ladder?

Human pyramid?

Winch up an ankle-biter?

 

[Dyflin]

I had thought about that too, just hoped there would be a simple procedure I could do on the marina berth?

 

[l'escargot]

6 inches or so of straight wire attached to a long piece of fishing line. Put a chunk of bluetack on the end of the boathook and press the the end of the wire lightly into it so it sticks out at 90 degrees. Maneuvre the piece of wire through the block, jiggle the boathook so that it comes free of the bluetack and drops through the block threading the fishing line as a mousing line. Use the fishing line to pull through the halyard. I've done this using a long fishing pole instead of the boathook.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

ooh..... thats a good idea worth remembering... nice one Mark!

 

[ajt]

I watched a guy recently changing his VHF ariel in the lock at Hythe marina, he stood on the balcony of the lock building and then they let out the water until the mast head was at the same level as the balcony.
Very clever I thought, I bet the lock keeper earnt a drink for that

 

[fireball]

Take out the log or open a few seacocks with no hoses attached until the boat is low enough in the water for you to reach the spreaders /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Dyflin]

Maybe I should just heave up on the main halyard until the mast bends down enough... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[stevebrassett]

I used a ladder - tied very firmly to the mast. I did it on dry land, but I would consider it in a marina.