11/24/2008 10:11:52

Yesterday, it was sunny, warm and breezy, for a November day in Colorado.  The temperate was in the high 50s and low 60s most of the day.

JoAnne decided to run to the store to pick up some items for the Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's house on Thursday.

I, on the other hand, begged off of shopping and stood up the six foot ladder, and climbed aboard "Winds of Change" for some rope work.  Ok, well, Mast Work.

Over the course of the last week I manufactured a gin pole, found some good rope and prepped that, found some double pulley blocks, brackets and assorted hardware and have been assembling, drilling, and generally laying things out.

Yesterday, once aboard the boat, I turned on the radio to some country music (we don't have a "Sailing Music All the time" FM station in Colorado Springs for some reason, and I just didn't feel like dragging out the iPod and Jimmy Buffet right then...) and started putting things together.

After awhile, I was ready.  JoAnne was due back shortly, so I called my buddy Steve, whom I've known for about 25 years.  We worked together in Washington, DC many years ago during the Reagan and Bush years at the White House Communications Agency.  Steve lives a couple blocks away from me these days.

So, with the Admiral arriving with groceries, and me as the Skipper - and very shortly, the "First Mate" arrived and I gave Steve the most difficult job... sort of.

I asked him to pin the front stay when the mast was raised. He seemed disappointed when I told him JoAnne would be raising the mast, and I'd be ensuring nothing hung up, and the mast went straight into place.

So he positioned himself at the bow, I positioned myself under the mast to hold it in cast something "let go", and JoAnne stood on the port side of the cockpit with line in-hand.  Once I double checked (for the fourth or fifth double-check of the day) all the shrouds, stays, connections, bolts.... I told her "Hoist away!"

She say "Aye!" and began to pull on the rope.  It moved easily, and rather quickly.  The mast raised into place and settled into position.

Steve had problems.  The forestay bracket was almost exactly one half and inch too short to make it to the front bracket.  He suggested laying the mast back down.  I told him to stand by a minute.



JoAnne tied off the line for the block and tackle and Steve remained there to hold the forestay to keep the mast in place.  I climbed down, surveyed the problem and realized that we were pulling on the mainsail halyard (used it to haul up the mast actually from the end of the gin pole).  I saw that the jib halyard pulley is about 3 inches above where the forestay connects to the mast. So, I told Steve to prepare to pin the bracket.

I climbed aboard, had JoAnne give us a tug on the block and tackle, I tied off one end of the jib halyard, grabbed the free end and pulled.  The mast bowed slightly in the middle, gave Steve the half inch and a bit more he needed, he bolted the pin into place and viola! We had mastage!

Ok, well, we're all happy, it is the first time we've actually raised a mast on a boat and it demonstrates that any of the three of us could have accomplished this alone... something I needed to make sure I could do, or JoAnne could so.

The mast will remain in place for a couple of weeks in the yard while I check sails, pulleys (have checked them on the ground, but need to make sure it all works as it should).

I know there is at least one issue with my jib - and might have to replace it, we'll see though. Perhaps it will be usable. 

Anyway - we raised a cup of coffee since we didn't have any wine handy at the time.  But, I'm very happy we were able to bring the mast up so easily.

I'll add some pictures later today when I get home.

Rick