[Public-list] Dismasting!

Thu Jul 6 13:45:21 PDT 2006

Ed,

  It appears that the shackel at the deck end of the upper shroud on the port side is the one that let go.  Then the two lower ones let go by stripping the turnbuckles right out.  Of course we were under full sail with only 10-15 knots of wind.  Anyone who has CW turnbuckles over twenty years of age should probably think about replacing them.  The turnbuckles did not fail though, it was the shackle at the base.  The pin was still in place and the only thing we could not find was the shackle on the one shroud.

  Mermaid 305

edward schroeder <eddiediver at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
  John; I am curious also. Do you store your mast up or down? When was the last time you inspected the tangs between the mast and the shrouds? On Emotional Rescue #303, the tangs are through-bolted from the stbd, through the mast, to the port tangs, with lock washers and lock nuts. What part of the assembly actually broke or pulled out? Ed. Schroeder

Michael Connolly wrote: John,
I am curious. Were all the stays and shrouds original or had you done any replacements? How often have you inspected the rig? When you have inspected all and know exactly what failed I would like to know what failed and where. Thanks.

George will know who is making a mast extrusion that is closest to the original. Shipping will likely be much of the cost to you.

Michael #133

John Brugeman wrote: Fellow Albergers, 

The Mermaid (3068305) had a disastrous dismasting in Lake Erie last Saturday July 1st while under sail. We were on a hard port tack with about 10-15 knots of wind with the rail in the water. It looks like the upper port shroud let loose at the masthead and then the two port lower ones let loose. It was like a rifle shot and it was all over in a few seconds. The mast folded and the mast and sails dove off the boat, with very little damage to the deck and hull except for a couple of deep scratches topside. We were about 3 miles off Port Clinton, Ohio and were able to be towed in via Boat U.S. Needless to say, our new main came through without any damage, and the jib had some small rub holes in it which certainly can be repaired. The mast and the instrumentation at the head, however, were trashed and the rigging will have to all be replaced. There are also some rub marks on the starboard side of the hull where the mast was rubbing while being towed.

I would like to hear some comments/suggestions from fellow Albergers who may have experienced this same situation. Where might one purchase a new mast with the same configuration, and what brand of turnbuckles and wire would be appropriate for replacement? The boom was not damaged, but the gooseneck was broken and will have to be replaced. What might one consider for upgrades while we have this opportunity to do some things? We still have a wire main halyard and most of the boat is original. We even have the original Kenyon instruments.

We are still in the investigative stage of this accident without an estimate. We do have a very capable full service marina, which I am very confident with, handling the estimating and who will be doing most of the work,. Three years ago we redid the deck on this boat and this same marina did an excellent job.

Needless to say, we are still in shock as to what happened to our lovely lady.
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