What is the safe way to use a bosun’s chair on a mast with a single part halyard?

[Kukri]

This is probably obvious to most people here, but I have done most of my sailing in gaff rigged boats, with three and four part halyards.

I can see that only those who like to live dangerously will use a wire retaining winch.

I can see that with rope halyards and enough warm bodies, person number one is in the chair, person number two winds the winch, person number three tails and belays the halyard and person number four keeps the lazy halyard /safety line over a cleat.

But what if there are only two on board?

 

[capnsensible]

Have to do this quite a lot.
Chair on one halyard, safety harness to separate halyard or sometimes topping lift.
Helps if the person in the chair pulls themselves up a bit, but winch up a few feet. Secure halyard, take in slack on safety line, secure it. Repeat ad nauseum!
Tedious but works.

On my liveaboard, I got some webbing mast steps that fit up the main track. Easy for me to climb with chair halyard supervised by assistant.

3rd option, pay rigger. I get ever closer to this choice.......

 

[sailaboutvic]

as capt says in option one , except now we have a drum on the windlass so one halyard goes on the windlass save her winching while the second stays locked and then tighten every few meters .

 

[RichardS]

Same here as per the Captain.

Main halyard on its usual winch as the hauling line, topping lift/spinnaker halyard/genoa halyard as the safety line through a clutch. Winch a couple of feet, tighten safety line, repeat.

Richard

 

[Graham_Wright]

as capt says in option one , except now we have a drum on the windlass so one halyard goes on the windlass save her winching while the second stays locked and then tighten every few meters .

Electric? Dodgy and frowned upon for obvious safety reasons. Too many accidents.

 

[Graham_Wright]

This is probably obvious to most people here, but I have done most of my sailing in gaff rigged boats, with three and four part halyards.

I can see that only those who like to live dangerously will use a wire retaining winch.

I can see that with rope halyards and enough warm bodies, person number one is in the chair, person number two winds the winch, person number three tails and belays the halyard and person number four keeps the lazy halyard /safety line over a cleat.

But what if there are only two on board?

There are other devices!

I advocate keeping the safety line under the climbers control. In my case, I have a short line on my (separate) safety harness with an ascender on the end. This I clip on wherever available as I climb. It is necessary to remember to periodically shift it downwards as you descend!

 

[Neil_Y]

Prusik knots and two ropes tightened / tied down to base of mast. I have been winched up as it's quicker but will always make up a prusik to secure me if the halyard breaks or is released, running the prusik up a fixed line that is tight.

I always want to know I've secured myself rather than trust a deck fitting and another person.

 

[dom]

Also, be careful using spi halyards as backup lines on fractional rigs where they may be a good distance below masthead, if working up there. Esp important if halyards are low stretch.

I'd personally avoid prusik knots as a first line of defence and add a proper climbing descender which makes the entire exercise much smoother. Fall onto a prusik and one will dangle there until one sorts oneself out with additional kit attached to harness. If one doesn't have this gear, a lot of of halyard tail may be required if the fall happens near the top of the mast - make sure it' is available in advance!!

Finally, put proper STOP knots in ALL climbing lines, and run them through suitably sized blocks and/or fastened to suitably sized cleats.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Electric? Dodgy and frowned upon for obvious safety reasons. Too many accidents.

Graham , explain please , I am interested ? Yes it is electric .

 

[DownWest]

Couple of years ago a woman lost a hand and other fingers hauling hubby up with the electric anchor winch.

 

[dom]

Graham , explain please , I am interested ? Yes it is electric .

Imagine windlass momentarily jams in the 'on' position just as your thighs are inside one of the diagonals as you're going up. Fatal injury is possible in this and other similar ways.

A power winch can be used (some don't even recommend this) if the line is not put into the self-tailer and one is 100% confident they can get it off quickly if necessary.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Imagine windlass momentarily jams in the 'on' position just as your thighs are inside one of the diagonals as you're going up. Fatal injury is possible in this and other similar ways.

A power winch can be used (some don't even recommend this) if the line is not put into the self-tailer and one is 100% confident they can get it off quickly if necessary.

Understand Dom ,
but it really depend how you use it.
two turn on the drum and any jamming or running away of the windlass you wouldn't be able to hold it from slipping ,
So really there no chance of losing your arms or legs , as it happen if I didn't help at the same time it would just slip .

It's making sure that the second line taken through the jammer and the slack taken up as you go alone is the important part and in that way the worst that happen would be a drop of a few CM .
With a chair that goes around your crutch you may talk funny for a bit .

Coming down , four turn around a winch not the windlass using the hand as a brake
It's like most stuff on a boat you need to do it right .
What is dangerous is using a electric ST winch now that I do agree on .

 

[Kukri]

I'd like to thank everyone who has answered.

Sorry for the length of this but I thought I would cut and paste from the Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen ("COSWOP" to its friends)


I had been wondering if I was missing something and it seems that I am not, except that nobody has mentioned the bosun's chair hitch, aka the lowering hitch. There used to be a picture in the Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen ("COSWOP) but the MCA took all the pictures out of the recent editions so here's one I found on the Net:

- is this no longer used? It's still in the COSWOP - see section 17.5, specifically, but the whole of s.17 is relevant.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...hment_data/file/671403/CSWPMS_GOV_UK_2017.pdf

17.5 Bosun’s chair

17.5.1 When used with a gantline, the chair should be secured to it with a double-sheet bend
and the end seized to the standing part with adequate tail. Annex 17.3 (reproduced from MGN
410(M+F)) gives further guidance.
MGN 410(M+F), Annex C

17.5.2 Hooks should not be used to secure bosun’s chairs unless they are of the type that,
because of their special construction, cannot be accidentally dislodged, and have a marked
safe working load that is adequate for the purpose.

17.5.3 On each occasion that a bosun’s chair is rigged for use, the chair, gantlines and
lizards must be thoroughly examined and renewed if there is any sign of damage. They should
be load tested to at least four times the load they will be required to lift before a person is
hoisted.

17.5.4 When a chair is to be used for riding topping lifts or stays, it is essential that the bow
of the shackle, and not the pin, rides on the wire. The pin in any case should be seized.

17.5.5 When it is necessary to haul a person aloft in a bosun’s chair, it is generally done only
by hand rather than by using a winch. In the case of mast access on large sailing yachts, a
winch may be used by a competent person, providing a risk assessment has been completed
and effective safety measures put in place to control the risks identified.

17.5.6 If a seafarer is required to lower themselves while using a bosun’s chair, they should
first frap both parts of the gantline together with a suitable piece of line to secure the chair
before making the lowering hitch. The practice of holding on with one hand and making the
lowering hitch with the other is dangerous. It may be prudent to have someone standing by to
tend the lines.

See also:

ANNEX 17.3 REQUIREMENTS FOR ROPE ACCESS AND
POSITIONING TECHNIQUES
Equipment should be inspected before each use, and thoroughly examined by a competent person at
least every three months, in accordance with a specified schedule.
1. A rope access or positioning technique shall only be used if:
 subject to the next bullet point, it involves a system comprising at least two
separately anchored ropes, of which one (‘the working rope’) is used as a means of
access, egress and support and the other is a safety rope;
 the seafarer is provided with and uses a suitable harness and is connected by it to the
working rope and the safety rope;
 the working rope is equipped with safe means of ascent and descent and has a selflocking
system to prevent the seafarer falling should they lose control of their
movements;
 the safety rope is equipped with a mobile fall prevention system that is connected to
and travels with the seafarer;
 the working rope and the safety rope should take different leads;
 ropes should be protected from right angles or sharp edges;
 the tools and other accessories to be used by the seafarer are secured to their harness
or seat or by some other suitable means.
2. A rope access or positioning technique may involve a system comprising a single rope
where:
 the risk assessment has demonstrated that the use of a second line would entail
higher risk to persons; and
 appropriate measures have been taken to ensure safety.

I googled "Bosun's chair hitch" and found "one I wrote earlier":

Having stopped the standing part to the hauling part, preferably with a racking, but by grasping them together if you are singlehanded***, pull the fall through the chair bridle to form a loop.

Pass the loop over your head and shoulders and make it long enough to go over your feet.

Pick up the loop with a foot and bring it up outside the bridle.

Haul taut; you should have a hitch on the bridle with the fall leading up; lift the fall to slack off, drop it to stop.

Practice this six inches off the deck, first. Don't ask me how I know this...

*** Now banned by the MCA - see above.

 

[dom]

Understand Dom ,
but it really depend how you use it.
two turn on the drum and any jamming or running away of the windlass you wouldn't be able to hold it from slipping ,
So really there no chance of losing your arms or legs , as it happen if I didn't help at the same time it would just slip .

It's making sure that the second line taken through the jammer and the slack taken up as you go alone is the important part and in that way the worst that happen would be a drop of a few CM .
With a chair that goes around your crutch you may talk funny for a bit .

Coming down , four turn around a winch not the windlass using the hand as a brake
It's like most stuff on a boat you need to do it right .
What is dangerous is using a electric ST winch now that I do agree on .

No problem if one can perform an adequate risk and mitigation analysis first. But think what this will entail:

1. Someone sits/stands on the windlass remote. Massive forces can be instantly generated. How long has the climber got in such circumstances? Possibly less than a second if he's in a dangerous place.
2. Is the rope drum on the same side as the chain wheel? We've all caught ropes in chain wheels with a central channel.
3. Could a line snarl and jamb itself tight on the windlass drum and then wind itself up in a bit pile which is almost impossible to release?
4. What happens when the climber cries "STOP!"? Panicked humans tend to instinctively pull and snatch something, not release it; it's a natural reaction. That's why some climbing descenders have automatic override brakes should the climber accidentally yank instead of releasing the 'lowering lever' in a fall. The deck crew is no different. Can the windlass be panic protected?

Sort all this and you're to go! But, why not buy a couple of acscenders to take at least some of the strain and have a free core-strength workout on the way up?

 

[Motor_Sailor]

'Working at Height' has a requirement to ensure the person working above can be rescued should they become incapacitated.

So either the hauling and safety ropes must be operated from below so the 'casualty can be lowered', or if the worker is in control his own ascent and descent, then there must be a rescue climber available to go up and bring the casualty down.

This is not a bad rationale for sailors going up masts. After all, heart attacks and other problems aren't unknown amongst the common age profile of sailors!
So having both the hauling rope and the safety rope operated on deck is the perfect solution. However, if using climbing ascenders, tying off the bosun's chair, using a fall arrest module on a separate safety rope, will all result in an incapacitated 'climber' being stuck up the mast unless the various rescue options are fully thought through beforehand.

 

[dom]

However, if using climbing ascenders, tying off the bosun's chair, using a fall arrest module on a separate safety rope, will all result in an incapacitated 'climber' being stuck up the mast unless the various rescue options are fully thought through beforehand.

+1 And as I mentioned above the easiest way to do this is to ensure sufficient tail in the safety line connected to the harness to lower the casualty down to deck level - even if the fall occurs near the top of the mast.

Edit: this is also why the climber should always ascend outside the lazyjacks if fitted, as a simple lowering may be complicated if he has gone up the inside.

 

[zoidberg]

The concept of 'safe' is relative....

Graham_wright and Neil_Y have the bones of it.

In my earlier escapades I climbed. Later, for a while, I dangled underneath yellow helochoppers. Part of both cultures is 'inspect, inspect, and learn from others' mistakes'.
So, I have a 'Mastmate' webbing ladder ( http://mastmate.com/ ) purchased used from here. This keeps me close to the mast if/when the boat bounces due to passing wake and/or sea state. It also has the foot-stiffeners mentioned in the website.

I also have a full-body harness, as one can fall out of a simple sit-seat ( bosuns chair ) or a chest harness. This can be made up from a single length of webbing, and some offshore foredeck crew do just that. I have a pair of used climbers' ascendeurs, which I secure to a taut safety rope and move one at a time going up and coming down.
I also use a short strop which I pass around the mast at waist level, to hold me in place so I can use both hands to manipulate the workpiece/tools at the top.

I inspect and over-run everything. It's my sorry pink arris.....

 

[johnalison]

Most of us will want something simple I imagine. I get winched up the mast by my wife yearly. The chair is attached to the (wire) main halyard and topping-lift. The main tail passes through a clutch, round a halyard winch and down to a more powerful s/t sheet winch. The topping-lift passes through a clutch to a s/t halyard winch. Each line therefore has two stoppers. I am winched up on the main and the slack in he other taken in every six feet or so.

Descent is taken slowly because I am usually washing and inspecting the rig. Some slack is put in the topping-lift before the main is unlocked from the sheet winch and its clutch opened and then I am eased down some six feet before everything is locked again. At the least, I have the halyard with three turns round a winch, being held, and a topping-lift with two stoppers. There are surely better ways, but I have not worried myself unduly about ours.

 

[Neeves]

I'm with Zoidberg and use a full climbing harness. I'm not so keen on a bosuns chain, by itself - you could slip out. I too have a sling that can be put round the mast to secure me to the mast when I work. I have another sling that I use to secure me to something a bit higher, (spreaders, crane) so my weight is not on the halyard.

But I am intrigued - the whole basis of the exercise is that the halyard is considered intrinsically unsafe, hence the safety line. Are there such copious numbers of accidents with halyards, or the attachment of the halyard to the chair, or securement of the halyard at the deck to demand this second halyard - which as the OP implies complicates the whole issue. Climbers use single ropes for climbing, usually, and simply would not consider a second rope. They assume the mate below knows what the procedures are (and often those procedures do not involve any mechanical aids). What is the background to the extra safety on yacht (except that the extra safety is available).

 

[sailaboutvic]

I'm with Zoidberg and use a full climbing harness. I'm not so keen on a bosuns chain, by itself - you could slip out. I too have a sling that can be put round the mast to secure me to the mast when I work. I have another sling that I use to secure me to something a bit higher, (spreaders, crane) so my weight is not on the halyard.

But I am intrigued - the whole basis of the exercise is that the halyard is considered intrinsically unsafe, hence the safety line. Are there such copious numbers of accidents with halyards, or the attachment of the halyard to the chair, or securement of the halyard at the deck to demand this second halyard - which as the OP implies complicates the whole issue. Climbers use single ropes for climbing, usually, and simply would not consider a second rope. They assume the mate below knows what the procedures are (and often those procedures do not involve any mechanical aids). What is the background to the extra safety on yacht (except that the extra safety is available).

Johnathan you going to open a can of worms mate with the last part of your posting