[Public-List] Mast up! No halyards~!

[Jeffrey]

Well,

We launched the boat yesterday in fine weather. Everything went
smoothly (for a change). Our boatyard helps us raise the mast with a
crane. We had the spreaders on, stays arranged and all looked neat and
tidy. Mast went up fine & we motor out to the mooring to finish
rigging. We were there for a couple hours enjoying ourselves when I
looked for a halyard to check the positioning of the mast and there
were no halyards! We pulled the halyards last fall and forgot to
string them back in.  The only line going up the mast is 1/8 flag
pennant.

I'll likely ask the yard to let us come back in and use the crane &
bosuns chair to thread the two halyards, but I'm wondering if I could
figure out a way to safely do this myself. I've got years of
experience with technical climbing, & aid climbing experience and I'm
very familiar with prusik hitches. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with
climbing the smooth mast with prussic hitches alone though. I've got
some small cord that seems to grip well with lots of wraps but
still..the mast is a smooth pole.

I've also though if I could raft up alongside a similar sized boat, go
up the other boat's mast then we shift ballast to lean the boats into
each other? Getting a willing participant is the tough part of this.

Can't think of a big tree near deep water, or a suitable bridge.

Any other possibilities?


Another question: is there any practical limit to how big a person an
Alberg 30 mast will safely hold? Last season I needed to fix my
anemometer atop the mast and a buddy of mine wanted to go up in the
worst way. He's about 225 lbs and I carefully squirmed my way out of
it. My wife is 100lbs and has no trouble with heights.  Truth is, I
was concerned for the rigging & my 45 year old mast beam. Should this
be a concern?



-- 
Jeffrey Fongemie

Jeff Fongemie
#116 Seagrass

http://picasaweb.google.com/fongemie