Up the mast
Oct. 2010Today I installed the spinnaker halyard I ordered from Defender. I thought I would use three strand as the cost was lower, but opted not to as the stretch was significant in modern three strand.
I took a 24 foot extension ladder to the boat today. My mom came along to help. I had my climbing harness with me and some extra rope for tying things off as needed. We used the jib halyard to haul up and secure the top of the ladder. I had padded the top rung of the ladder to keep from tearing up the mast in case the ladder dragged along the edge of the mast. I used some more towels to pad the deck, so the ladder feet wouldn't screw it up. Tied the legs of the ladder to the mast, so it wouldn't slide out. I went and "clipped in" my rock climbing harness to the main halyard. Mom belayed me up the ladder and I tied off over the top of the masthead.
I had dragged up a shoulder bag with wrenches and vise grips. The masthead already had a bolt in place for attaching the block for the new halyard. With the forestay wedged across my back, working up top felt way more secure than some of the belays I've hung out on. The only unnerving thing was the way the mast would sway as folks moved around the boat. I was keenly aware that I was 165 pounds of mass hung out on a 25 foot lever arm. Tree trimming isn't like it ( except maybe when you cut off a big limb above you and the tree bucks like a mechanical bull in a bar). This is a lazy lean...slow to return to dead vertical.
Regardless, here is the specifics. 24 foot ladder. Tied off at the base, mid way at the spreaders and with the jib halyard tied to the top . Padding on deck and the top rung of the ladder. Used a cheap REI sit harness with a couple of carabiners and about six feet of 1/2 tubular webbing to wrap over the top of the mast while up there.
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