Dismasted at sea in the Bahamas, now what

[Laxlife]

My racing skipper lost his mast last June, don’t ask how. He ordered a new one immediately. He hopes it will arrive Annapolis next Month, fully 10 months later. The boat is a recent vintage production yacht from an active, highly regarded EU builder. He lost a carbon mast but is replacing it with aluminum. This was not a cost issue so much as CF delivery dates were mid- 2023. I hope your delivery time is faster than his. Also, he filed an insurance claim and they promptly paid. Then they decided not to renew his annual policy. His insurance broker could only find one underwriter to replace the coverage and their policy now limits his travels to 100 miles offshore. He has a 40 year sailing resume and about 30,000 offshore miles most in races of which he has won line or class honors several times.

[Dieseldude]

Originally Posted by Laxlife

My racing skipper lost his mast last June, don’t ask how. He ordered a new one immediately. He hopes it will arrive Annapolis next Month, fully 10 months later. The boat is a recent vintage production yacht from an active, highly regarded EU builder. He lost a carbon mast but is replacing it with aluminum. This was not a cost issue so much as CF delivery dates were mid- 2023. I hope your delivery time is faster than his. Also, he filed an insurance claim and they promptly paid. Then they decided not to renew his annual policy. His insurance broker could only find one underwriter to replace the coverage and their policy now limits his travels to 100 miles offshore. He has a 40 year sailing resume and about 30,000 offshore miles most in races of which he has won line or class honors several times.

Insurance companies only want you to pay them to do nothing for you when you need the help that you pay them for. They also want to run your life. It might be an impractical idea these days, but the old days of wooden masts seems, to be appealing when considering these stories of broken aluminum and advanced composites. True, wooden masks can break, and they require maintenance. But the old boat shops could turn one out locally without the long manufacturing and shipping delays of modern masts. Added to that is the problem of replacing obsolete designs of factory made masts of older vessels. But then who wants to spend time and do the work of scraping and painting a wooden mast every couple years? Like all things, it is a trade off.

[Atlanticsailing]

Greetings from nearby Long Island, Bahamas

I have a mast available on my Pearson P-35, located within a reasonable motoring range north of you. (And the boom if needed.)

A local "can do" guy is here to assist if you wish. In the Bahamas about 25 miles west of my location is a well founded yard in Georgetown, Great Exuma, for raising, etc.

Patrick
Joe's Sound, North Long Island

Good luck and so sorry about your cat.

[barryglewis]

Sorry about the cat, and dismasting.
Who is the insurance company Edward Williams used for your insurance?
Was it Northern Reef?

[JC Reefer]

Wow. Losing a feline friend like that is terrible. So sorry for your loss.

[drdoyle]

Check Georgetown Great Exuma on your way back. There's a small haul out marina there and a lot of hurricane boats were salvaged for parts. You might get lucky and find something.

[tartan4100]

Very sad that you had things checked and then a failure. What does the rigger in Oriental say. Oppis I forgot to bend that cotter pin? You need to consider the cost of a new or used replacement mast and the shipping of same to where ever you are going if not the US. I would think the chances of a proper replacement are much higher in the US. Labor costs are higher in Ft Lauderdale and Miami than north of there in Florida. I also think there is a better chance of finding a good used, very close replacement in the US. Also, there is a remote chance that, if you have both pieces, somebody in the US can make a strong inside sleeve and splice the two pieces together with a lot of heavy duty pop rivets and save a bundle and not wait for a new build. Sound strange but Selden masts come designed two pieces with a serious internal sleeve and they pop rivet the two sections together. You could ask Sailorman in Ft lLauderdale for uses mast or boom or vang that he has or where to go. US Spars is in Gainsville makes spars and maybe have used. But trucking would be cheaper. Call Mark Dufeny at Sailing Services in Miami as he may know of something. And lastly call Mack Sails in Stuart and see what they say and then ask for Colin's phone to call him at his yard in Stuart. Also The Yacht Riggers in St Petersburg may have a supply of mast extrusions they bought from island nautical.

[Sailor_Jeff]

Cats will dog paddle right next to the hull frequently they move to the bow area instinctively. but they can not climb up. Right after such tragedies you must make it a priority to carefully search the entire waterline for the cat. Forget the mast, you can buy a new one but saving the life of a family member, even a cat, must take top priority.

If you regard your cat as property and not family, then you should just move to Arizona and forget the boat.

[DeValency]

so sorry to hear.

Your chances to find the right rigging anywhere in the Caribbean are very slim and shipping from Europe or the US is going to be very expensive and delay you for months. Would suggest motoring to Florida and order everything there.

Originally Posted by SV_Lusca

Hi guys, our mast came down yesterday, (Beneteau 36cc 1997) about 3nm off the shore of Mayaguana Island in the Bahamas.

We are now safely at anchor at Abrahams bay. Luckily no damage to the hull (but one of our cats wasn’t so lucky) he was sleeping in the cockpit and I guess jumped in panic and we never saw him again.

I was able to cut the lines and rigging to free the mast from the boat before it damaged the hull. Calm sea’s, 10 to 16 knots of wind. No idea what let go.

But for now the most important part, whats next. We are trying to decide if we should motor back to Florida or continue our way down to T&C or another country further south to try and get another mast.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

We are Canadians and left Lake Champlain last September for an undetermined amount of time. But now our trip will probably end sooner than anticipated.

Dave
SV Lusca

[Atlanticsailing]

Hello again,
Re. a replacement mast for your boat from my P-35.

If you're considering my offer, please contact me at my Gmail address. atlanticsailingman@gmail.com

Available with the mast is fully functional roller furling, boom and assorted running rigging. Probably enough to set you up to keep cruising or at least sail to the US or back to beautiful Canada.

Patrick

[team karst]

I think a big consideration is the matching of the mast to the deck "socket" (not sure the proper term). So, the extrusion profile is important to spec. My question is how to describe it short of a tracing with pencil and paper. Mine is not a simple oval.

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by team karst

I think a big consideration is the matching of the mast to the deck "socket" (not sure the proper term). So, the extrusion profile is important to spec. My question is how to describe it short of a tracing with pencil and paper. Mine is not a simple oval.

Correct. People here think you can just take any piece of old mast extrusion of any other boat and alter something out of it.

In reality, the OP needs the exact same mast he lost, used or new. Or have one custom made to the same specs and fittings, including the deck shoe.

[Dieseldude]

Originally Posted by team karst

I think a big consideration is the matching of the mast to the deck "socket" (not sure the proper term). So, the extrusion profile is important to spec. My question is how to describe it short of a tracing with pencil and paper. Mine is not a simple oval.

Complex shapes of course are difficult to accurately describe in words alone. It seems that you are limited to tracing or photographing. Probably the best you can do is take a picture and add some basic dimensions in a basic graphics program such as "Paint". Paint seems a bit awkward to use, but you can learn to add lines, arrows, and text once you play around with it a while. This will not make a scale drawing, as scale is not transferred through the various media. But your basic dimensions will be there as text.



If a graphics program take too much time to figure out, an impression of the "socket" can be made on stiff paper or thin cardboard. Hold the paper steady on the top edge, and press over the edges to form an impression or crease in the paper. The impression can then be traced with a pen for clarity. Dimensions can be added. Then take a photo of the finished drawing or scan it. I've used this method for fabricating plenty of small parts. Your initial drawing will be to scale, but scale will not transfer through various media though.



Note that a digital or vernier caliper may be required to get precise dimensions.

[Queenbeeiam]

We also had a new Harken furlor installed and some rigging replaced in Orential NC. Do you care to share the name of the business. I am concerned after reading about your situation.

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Jeff

Cats will dog paddle right next to the hull frequently they move to the bow area instinctively. but they can not climb up. Right after such tragedies you must make it a priority to carefully search the entire waterline for the cat. Forget the mast, you can buy a new one but saving the life of a family member, even a cat, must take top priority.

.

We have shared our lives with multiple cats over the years, ministered to their health needs, adapted to and loved their individual personalities, gave and received Joy and comfort, held them and praised them as they passed. Had any of them ever needed rescue I would have risked personal injury to save them, but I would never have placed their lives above the lives of my wife or children.

In the situation described by the OP, the responsibility of the captain and crew was first and foremost to the safety of the vessel as their lives depended on it. Had the broken mast punctured their hull it wouldn't have done them or the cat any favors.

It's a hard situation and I'm sure the family mourns their loss. Nonetheless they made the right decision.