Up the mast I go.

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mikenfi

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SO I plan to go up the mast to tread the halyards. I dont want to get the mast down as this is my plan for next winter, and I will not be able to stop myself doing it once it is down.

My plan assend the mast using the folling kit in the way detailed below.

Petzl Navaho Bod Harness,
2x Petzl Grillon
1x Petzl skyhook & absorbica
loads of 1m 2kn strops up the mast as I go.

So My plan is to wear my harness, with 2x grillons attached to the chest ring and the skyhooks attached to my back shoulder ring (to keep my front as clear as possible.

With the 1m strops I plan to prosik these up the mast as I go (I have a shed load of these so they will stay in position until I descend). I will use the 2 grillons to asend myself between the strops, using the sky hooks as a back up. This is something I do at work but I cannot find any references to it when researching climbing ships masts.

I seek to know if this has been done before as it seems second nature to do this when there is no ropes to use (or when I am climbing a structure to fit ropes when at work) I am an IRATA accredited and all my kit is in tip top shape.

If you seasoned sailors have any apprehensions please let me know, it is more to set Fiona's (the better half) heart at ease. She doesnt know what I do at work in reality and Worries about a lot of stuff this job being one that will have her worring till I have completed it next week.
 
In fecamp at the monent. Heading to brighton next month? Are you on my travels. Can swing by anywhere ne france or se england.
 
mikenfi said:
SO I plan to go up the mast to tread the halyards. I dont want to get the mast down as this is my plan for next winter, and I will not be able to stop myself doing it once it is down.

My plan assend the mast using the folling kit in the way detailed below.

Petzl Navaho Bod Harness,
2x Petzl Grillon
1x Petzl skyhook & absorbica
loads of 1m 2kn strops up the mast as I go.

So My plan is to wear my harness, with 2x grillons attached to the chest ring and the skyhooks attached to my back shoulder ring (to keep my front as clear as possible.

With the 1m strops I plan to prosik these up the mast as I go (I have a shed load of these so they will stay in position until I descend). I will use the 2 grillons to asend myself between the strops, using the sky hooks as a back up. This is something I do at work but I cannot find any references to it when researching climbing ships masts.

I seek to know if this has been done before as it seems second nature to do this when there is no ropes to use (or when I am climbing a structure to fit ropes when at work) I am an IRATA accredited and all my kit is in tip top shape.

If you seasoned sailors have any apprehensions please let me know, it is more to set Fiona's (the better half) heart at ease. She doesnt know what I do at work in reality and Worries about a lot of stuff this job being one that will have her worring till I have completed it next week.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what any of that means! :)

On my boat I sit in the bosun's chair with the main halyard and the spinny halyard clipped to the top ring. My wife winds the winch and my son tensions the spinny line through a clutch. It seems to work!

Richard
 
Ditto - you can demo on mine in Lymington as well ;-)

Not entirely sure of your setup, but the "standard sailors routine" - you will need to map this to your gear would be: tools etc in a bucket, you/me in a bosuns chair, halyard 1 attached using a well made bowline, halyard 2 ditto with "sweaters" taking up the slack on winches as you go. That means its a 3 man job. That said I have been up the mast in an emergency single handed taking my lines with me and tying off every few feet, not an experience I ever intend to repeat.

What will you do re getting a leg up when at the top? You essentially need to ge crotch height to the top to be able to work effectively. Depending on what you do as a day job with your ropes at height qual, plus where you intend to do this work, one thing to consider is motion - even when tied up to a marina the left to right motion can be considerable.

That said, you sound like you would manage the risks etc so go for it.
 
No idea about the kit you're proposing, as it's all new stuff since I gave up this sort of thing. However, if I understand correctly, you intend to use a harness to support yourself and climb the mast by means of slings passed round the mast in some version of prussic knot. You will use one sling to support yourself whilst sliding a second one up the mast, transfer your support to the higher sling and then move the lower sling up and so on up the mast. to protect yourself from falling, you will secure slings to the mast as you go, through which you will pass your security rope, thus if you do fall you will fall no further than the last sling. Sounds very feasible to me, if quite tiring. But if you do this sort of thing for a living, you'll know about the physical exertion involved.....

I presume you're doing this because there are currently no halyards rigged on the mast, as otherwise the simple way of getting to the top is to use one of the halyards and a winch.
 
The last couple of times I went up I used a gri-gri on my harness with a petzl ascender connected to a foot strop above, both attached to one fall of the halliard. The other fall is tied off to my Bosun's chair.

Only use (rely on) a halliard which passes over the mast, not one with a pulley connected to the hounds.

Safety lines are a VGI. Typically something like a gri-gri/ascender attached to another halliard which is cleated off tight. Make sure you can ease the safety while handling the main gear.

-Bosun's chairs are designed to be sat in long-term whereas climbing harnesses can cause suspension trauma. (not Whillens type)

-One can fall out of a bosun's chair if too enthusiastic.

-Pull the tools up in a ditty bag after climbing, rather than lugging them up as you go.

-Make sure you have your phone on you so you can call the fire brigade when it all gets tied in a bird's nest and you get stuck up there :0)

- A grillon is a good idea to maintain your position once up.
 
Super this is all great news. My colleague has just confirmed this is the best way to.go. Thanks for your nots about the movement of the boat on water.

Yes it will be tiring but without gettig the mast down i see no other way. I have a full bod sit harness so getting into a comfy position will be

easy. As for tolls i plan to haul them up after positiining.

My job is as a rigger for entertainment. I basically lift anything that is use for rock and roll tv expos etc.
 
I am sure you will be ok.

I made one of these Easy Climbers, in about an hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycQm_ApCrUI

Simple and effective, you still need a Bosun's chair and someone to let you down, but it means that my wife doesnt have to wind me up the mast.
Make sure that you use a nice thick halyard, the jamming cleat slipped when I tried it on my (thin) topping lift.
 
I like the video. Cool idea once i have halyards fitted. But im going to step my mast next winter.

Thanks again for yot help.
 
I'm sure it will be okay to get up to somewhere near the top, but once at the top you will find that the rope attaching to your back rather than your chest will be less than ideal. At this point You will probably therefore have it very slack and if you did fall on it will probably shock load it.
As the nature of a halyard is that it is a static rope rather than a dynamic (climbing - stretchy one) you are potentially comprising yourself.

I think you'd be better off with a chest jammer attachment e.g. petzl kroll. Have a look at how cavers use theirs - search for SRT (SINGLE ROPE TECHNIQUE) on youtube etc.

What ever method you use I recommend you haul up a rope on your hallyard and climb on that rather than the halyard itself - the teeth cut in on the sheath and wear it a bit.

Have fun!
 
Thanks but this post is access without halyards in place i plan to put them in when i have climbed to the top of the mast. I have various dynamic, semidynamic and static lines on board. I understand the need in different situations to use the correct rope. Regardig access with a croll (chest jammer but i have nothing to attach t too.

If i was to climb with ropes i would use a croll on one line and an asap with absorbica on the secpnd.

When you talk about a rope in my shoulder hoop. I think you have got mixed up im.using a petzl absorbica to break a fall with double skyhooks attached.

In addition when you talk about the fall ratio waist height is a ratio of 2 so i woudlnt be in a bad position at the top as i would secure myself with a grillon to the final strop at the top.

So i plan this job for next week. Maybe the week after. I will ask my partner to.film it and ill add a link here.
 
I have commented on that video about the use of a snap shackle, which I consider dangerous if used to take your weight aloft. I replaced my topping lift with the same rope as my main halyard and now have both a safe rope for climbing and an emergency spare halyard.
 
Three times I had chickened out of going up the mast (boat on the hard, a very slight lean, i even have mast steps). I was just steeling myself to go up after weeks of agonising as i really really dont like heights when i realised i had a 'spare' halyard which was for a cruising chute i do not own

Pleased.

just saying
 
In Boulogne a large cat arrived. About 15 people then went aboard to meet the crew & proceeded to hold a party on board. A young girl- about 10 years old- seemed to be bored. She shinned up the mast without the use of any ropes. She then walked half way out on the lattice structured cross tree ( It was a v big boat) where she stood , without holding on & held a conversation with someone on the deck.
She went up to the second spreader a couple of times & no one on board turned a hair as though it was an every day occurrence
 
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