Luck

[Cap Erict3]

Strange how things work out. We had 35 mph winds for 2 hours a couple of days ago. The wind found a loose fold and destroyed my Yankee cut jib. It wasn't a major loss. I picked it up for a song a couple of years ago and had been patching it since.

During the melee my spin halyard ended up pulled to the mast head.

A young navy pilot living on a boat near me ( He weighs a buck 20 or so) went to the masthead to retrieve it and spotted a hairline crack on my port shroud.

Making it lucky that the sail blew.

Needless to say the marina store ran an open bar on me that night.

[JPA Cate]

Too bad about the sail, and smart you for realizing you had great luck!

Your young navy pilot friend is a great observer! His good eye saved you a bunch.

Now, how old is the rig? Have you checked all your other swages?

Good on ya for shouting at the bar.

Ann

[Cap Erict3]

I had my sons on my mast doing a rewire of my lights and inspection of the rig back in October. Missed that one though.

The rig looks to have been repaired piecemeal. I'm betting some of it is original 1980.

I'm going to use HiMod fittings with an extension to make the repair so that I can remove the extension when replacing my standing rigging in the near future and reuse the compression fitting. Tentative plan anyway.

I've been threatening to pull the mast for a while anyway.



Odd thing. That is 3/8" cable on the Swage fitting with a 1/2 " pin in the fork. All the 3/8" swageless fittings I have found have 5/8" pins.

I'll be dealing with mast tang pin hole issues I reckon.

I spent a lot of my career in shipyards. I hope to limit my time there now that I am retired.

[Cap Erict3]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Too bad about the sail, and smart you for realizing you had great luck!



Your young navy pilot friend is a great observer! His good eye saved you a bunch.



Now, how old is the rig? Have you checked all your other swages?



Good on ya for shouting at the bar.



Ann

I feel kinda dumb smiling about a blown sail but I'm doin' it.

Thanks

[sailorchic34]

That was a timely bit of luck. Tiny cracks are hard to see sometimes. Good eye on that pilot.

[witchcraft]

Funny how so called bad things sometimes turn out to be good luck! Sounds like quite a day. Hope you bought that pilot a drink.

[MarkJ]

That is good luck

[bobnlesley]

Funny how so called bad things sometimes turn out to be good luck!

We know that feeling: Lesley lost our main halyard one windy morning in St Pierre Martinique and it snagged around the spreader. After berating her (silently of course, it's not safe to let Lesley hear me) I dug out the mast-climbing rig, went up and retrieved it. Whilst doing so I got a good view at the top of our lower stays and discovered that the starboard stern one was deformed and had two broken strands - we'd jammed the sail when putting a reef in a few days earlier, I suspect that's what we'd jammed it against? Our planned starboard tack reach in F5/6 across open water to Dominica got shelved in favour of a gentle port tack sail back south to the rigger's workshop in Le Marin.

[zeehag]

as everything happens for a reason, you found your reason for the blown out sail. now use it for shade and or for other things--repurpose it.
as i was arranging my boom replacement due to rot at the bale, i noticed a crack in my mizzenmast-- so i am not gonna sail using it, and i removed the weight at masthead that encouraged patricia to kill my mast. oops. and so i go to mazatlan in a few weeks or less to repair all my boat for a couple of years. the upsode is tha ti now have a beautiful perota wood boom for my mizzen and a safer way to hopefully actually make mazatlan. found most of the bad work that was done to my boat and corrected what i could find. and , yes i am still finding more badly done alleged repair..ha ha repair-more like ensuring my boat goes either burned to waterline or sink.. oops sorry boat i didnt mean that word....... ..

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Cap Erict3

I feel kinda dumb smiling about a blown sail but I'm doin' it.

Thanks

Smiling is rarely "dumb". I've known those who would have complained about the weather, the sail, the spin halyard, the mast climbing. the cracked fitting, the pin sizes, all the work....... 'they would be stressed and miserable.

Smiling is your wisdom, health and joy!

[barnakiel]

Do not suspect, just inspect.

The number of similar cracks I have found going aloft by now will be close to a dozen or so. Always other people's boats.

Why?

I have mast steps on ours and so I check our rig every time I feel like it.

You owe a beer to that guy! Well done.

b.

[Cap Erict3]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Do not suspect, just inspect.

The number of similar cracks I have found going aloft by now will be close to a dozen or so. Always other people's boats.

Why?

I have mast steps on ours and so I check our rig every time I feel like it.

You owe a beer to that guy! Well done.

b.

I have been shopping around a couple of years for a set of steps. Toyed with the idea of making a set out of aluminum flat bar.

I have been letting others go aloft and depending on their pictures and reports. I am a good sized fella and not a spring chicken.

Bit the bullet and ordered a set last night. Like they say, "The harder I work, the luckier I am."
I plan to get high a little more often.

[JPA Cate]

Excellent,

Your vigilance will stand you in good stead. (We only have two folding steps near the top, for Jim to stand on and be able to bear down on screw drivers, etc.)

Ann

[Cap Erict3]

Cut the hanks and bolt rope from a gimme sail I picked up. Sewed the luff tape from my shredded Yankee onto it. My Viking will zip rite through 8 lavers of canvas but it nor a friends Ptaff 130 would sew though the Mylar outer on the luff.

A Sailrite LSZ-1 with monster wheel walked right through it.

Took a boatload of folks out to do a test of the sail and finish tuning the rig. It had a nice shape and decent lift. The boat balanced well in the 10-15 mph winds today.

Winter is not quite through here but am likely to give it real test with the next good window for heading north.

My lady has Mardis Gras in New Orleans on her mind.

[Cap Erict3]

Didn't make Mardis Gras but did sail back to Galveston Bay.

Spent a good bit of the day working my way up the mast installing Sea Dog folding steps. Doing the bruised food foot boogie now.

Deck shoes and narrow steps didn't mesh well with the time it took to do the first dozen steps. Think I'll go for harder soles for the last dozen.

Live and learn.