Climb mast - no ropes!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Can't really count how many ways that is dumb - almost too scary to watch. At least he could have had another halyard in a loop around his body and kept taught on a winch by the young lady.

Very foolhardy, image the result if he fell...underway with him crumpled on the deck. Makes good YouTube footage I guess.

[JC Reefer]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Not going to read all the posts to see if someones already suggested it but the last time I had this problem I rafted-up alongside another boat with mast steps then used a piece of rope to pull the stepless mast top over to me, on the stepped mast, and re-threaded the halyards.

Apart from the mast step stuff, I done this. Raft up to a vessel a taller mast. You need 6 feet or more of difference. Swing out and get the work done.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Very foolhardy, image the result if he fell...underway with him crumpled on the deck. Makes good YouTube footage I guess.

Nah not really. Man is the only primate which feels it necessary to climb with a safety harness and some of the others spend a lifetime in the trees without experiencing a fall.

[lyl]

Ah, just to be young and reckless again.

[Jamison]

Is there another marina in the area that does have a working crane? Otherwise 3 friends and yourself could drop the mast easily. Don't endanger your self for something that could be fixed as easily as a few extra hands helping out, then you would not be sailing at all.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by waterman46

I'm sure personal injury lawyers are actively following this thread.

I'm also sure there is a potential Darwin Award winner here. I could only hope there is video of the attempt for the 2022 edition of "Jackass, Sailing Edition".

On a serious note, look, you screwed up. Spend the $225 and hire the crane or sell the boat as this is pretty small for a boat buck expenditure.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Very foolhardy, image the result if he fell...underway with him crumpled on the deck. Makes good YouTube footage I guess.

Not really, if you are a good climber and know your abilities. I've done it twice at the dock (underway would require a reason, but not that different)

a. You can get a belay. Even without a harness, a bowline on a bight with a good number of turns around the waist is safe for a fit person. We climbed at the crag with that tie-in all the time in the 70s. It was common place. I've fallen on that hundreds of times. You just need a strong core.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdltgDOnMhY

b. Wrapped around the mast, if you slip it will be a slide, not a sudden fall. Of course, you need to be cool-headed and fit.

Once was long ago when I was 24. A guest pulled the main halyard to the top. I skipped the belay and just went an got it. Seemed easy at the time. The second was at 58; again, I needed to fetch a halyard (blown spin shackle) and my climbing gear was at home. It did use a belay that time, and it felt quite safe, but the climbing was a little harder. But at 60 I'd shinny up to the spreaders (with a belay) without a second thought.

Not that I'm suggesting it. But it's not scary for me to watch. He's fit and moves well. No sketching. Probably no more dangerous than some of the boson's chair rides on old halyards I've watched. You have to be a climber to understand how it goes.

[Benz]

^^ I agree with Thin. I used to hand-over-hand up the rolled jib on a catamaran to access the spreaders, and have shinned up plenty of masts and coconut trees with no belay. My current boat has mast hoops which make going aloft while sailing a breeze. My daughter and I often go up and stand on the spreaders while underway, just to catch the view and shoot the breeze. Situational awareness and confidence are far better than any belay.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Benz

^^ I agree with Thin. I used to hand-over-hand up the rolled jib on a catamaran to access the spreaders, and have shinned up plenty of masts and coconut trees with no belay. My current boat has mast hoops which make going aloft while sailing a breeze. My daughter and I often go up and stand on the spreaders while underway, just to catch the view and shoot the breeze. Situational awareness and confidence are far better than any belay.

Until you needed it.
If you had a belay, why on Earth wouldn't you use it???

SV Cloud Duster

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Until you needed it.
If you had a belay, why on Earth wouldn't you use it???

SV Cloud Duster

I imagine, because he can.
Free Solo

There are those among us that would ask why would you sail, when you could motor? Why boat when you could car? Why car when you could stay at home all day? Why wake up?

- AT

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

I imagine, because he can.
Free Solo

There are those among us that would ask why would you sail, when you could motor? Why boat when you could car? Why car when you could stay at home all day? Why wake up?

- AT

Why be counterintuitive?
Chances dictate, you'll lose this battle eventually.
It may cost your life, or someone dear to you, theirs.
If you HAD A Belay, WHY would you not use it??
Makes NO sense just to be confrontational.
There's NO reasonable excuse not to.
One time.
You fall?
MAYBE you survive, or don't get injured.
OK, I can tell you don't climb.
You have no respect for Gravity, you will.
Tough guy.
SV Cloud Duster

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Why be counterintuitive?
Chances dictate, you'll lose this battle eventually.
It may cost your life, or someone dear to you, theirs.
If you HAD A Belay, WHY would you not use it??
Makes NO sense just to be confrontational.
There's NO reasonable excuse not to.
One time.
You fall?
MAYBE you survive, or don't get injured.
OK, I can tell you don't climb.
You have no respect for Gravity, you will.
Tough guy.
SV Cloud Duster

If you look back through this thread, you'll see where I describe my belay tactics and describe to the OP very clearly what he can expect when he gets up his particular mast from personal experience.

Chill out. You must get all your exercise from jumping to conclusions (of course with a proper belay device).

Coming from a climbing background first, all the sailor ways of doing this are butter biscuits crazy. But there are seven billion plus people on this earth so to think any one idea is THE one is crazy. Personal RISK MANAGEMENT, like deciding to sail at all, drive a car, whatever, is a very personal thing and very crucial to true freedom. Obviously, yours risk assessment is different from others but you're not adding anything here and it doesn't mean they're "disrespecting" gravity.

- AT

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Nah not really. Man is the only primate which feels it necessary to climb with a safety harness and some of the others spend a lifetime in the trees without experiencing a fall.

Then again, reasonable thinking realizes, that other primates don't know how to tie a simple knot.
Many Modern primates choose NOT to use the gray matter they have, that's a waste.
SV Cloud Duster

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

If you look back through this thread, you'll see where I describe my belay tactics and describe to the OP very clearly what he can expect when he gets up his particular mast from personal experience.

Chill out. You must get all your exercise from jumping to conclusions (of course with a proper belay device).

Coming from a climbing background first, all the sailor ways of doing this are butter biscuits crazy. But there are seven billion plus people on this earth so to think any one idea is THE one is crazy. Personal RISK MANAGEMENT, like deciding to sail at all, drive a car, whatever, is a very personal thing and very crucial to true freedom. Obviously, yours risk assessment is different from others but you're not adding anything here and it doesn't mean they're "disrespecting" gravity.

- AT

I guess if we're talking butter biscuits crazy, about safety and personal choices.
If your going to use your topping lift to assist a climb.
Instead of that very lengthy tutorial you mentioned, why not use your T lift to hoist a pre made purchase and easily climb unassisted?
Now, if your just sailing around without knowing or caring about losing a halyard, now that's true sailing???
SV Cloud Duster

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Until you needed it.
If you had a belay, why on Earth wouldn't you use it???

SV Cloud Duster

Because sometimes you don't have a belay.
Because sometimes a belay is not worth the bother.
Would you get a belay if you could just to go up a stairway? Why or why not? If not, who are you to judge those who can climb a mast or a cliff far more safely than you can climb a stair?