Challenge: Dismasting Situation

[Sail Dumaguete]

mauiboy, it's good to see you have a new mast and sail again, and your boat is up and about, i too had a dismasting not so long ago and like you we had to cut the rig and sails and motored back. anyways, its a funny feeling being dismasted, its like being castrated.

[rebel heart]

I'd start chopping lines and releasing the rig as fast as I can so it doesn't pop a hole in the boat. 50 miles isn't that bad, and since the rig was up, I'm imagining I was under sail. I should have plenty enough fuel to get back as long as I don't break the hull with the mast, or foul the prop.

Someone else mentioned the "I hope you have a clean fuel tank" point, which is very relevant.

[rebel heart]

I should add:

I removed my mast and had a lot of repairs done, as well as rebedding all the hardware. We're yanking the chainplates as well, and just generally inspecting the hell out of everything.

It's funny: it costs about as much to have that done as it did for you to buy a new rig :-)

[Sail Dumaguete]

rebel heart, make sure to check the chainplates thoroughly, in my case, thats where it broke, chain plate of lower shroud, then the mast came tumbling down, it broke into three pieces. anyway, prior to sailing when i inspected the chainplate it looked good from the outside, no rust, no cracks but inside it was already crumbling. Next time, I'm just goin to periodically replace the chainplate, say every 10 years, even if it looks good from the outside.

[Marco]

Hi, interesting story, something similar happened to me, i dismasted almost 200 miles SW of Ireland. My mast too was not recoverable, especially as i was alone on the boat at the time. This is what it looked like when i dismasted

Dismasting Pictures | blogSTAR

This after setting the mast as jury rig

Jury rig | blogSTAR

It took me some 40 hours from the time of dismasting before i made landfall in Dingle in Ireland. Luckily the wind was always behind me and i had enough fuel to keep the engine on tick forward and keep the average speed up.

[mauiboy86]

Way to go! It looks like you made an excellent jury rig and it got you home, it also helps to have a motor.
Losing the mast alone must have been a dreadful feeling!

[duefocena]

Sailed Maui to Oahu and back many times.
I would clipped off the rig turned the boat down wind and gone back to Honolulu ( The direction the trades and the swell would have pushed them given the scenario he explained.)

[Eleven]

I've often considered those parasol kites that folk play with, even the surfers ones. All they need as Jury rig is a tie down point and a pilot. Broad reaching should be possible too with one of these, and very little heeling force.
They also make an elevated marker if orange with an SOS marked.
Can they be made stable enough to be fly from a single line?

[bangkaboat]

Mauiboy, very entertaining! I think I downloaded a couple of pictures of your boat when trying to describe the transom rake to others. Just one thing; the next time you tell a near disaster story could you use another type of boat or area? Not that I'm superstitious, but I'll be heading that way in the near future.

[ozskipper]

Re-assess your decision making process perhaps.
Why did you go to sea without appropriate experience on board?
Why did you buy a boat without a proper marine surveyors report?
Why did you go to sea without bolt cutters and possibly other important tools?
Why did you go to sea without a back up radio?

Okok, my questions are a little harsh and perhaps confronting. But no one here wants you dead. or anyone else for that matter.

Its a clear case of inexperience leading to a possible catastrophe. There has been much discussion and opposing sides in this and other forums about gaining the proper experience by way of getting professional training and completing as many course as possible.

But I thank you making the post as other people who are inexperienced may read the post and rethink whether to actually go and get proper training for the type of sailing they want to do. Good to hear the boat is back in action

[barnakiel]

1. call your insurance agent,
2. call SAR,
3. sit back and relax.

b.