Climbing the Mast -- Ratchet Block Safety Line?

[Dockhead]

I was reading an article in PS today which recommended using a ratchet block on the safety line so you can control it yourself.

How would this work?

I'm intrigued because the way I climb the mast, I need TWO helpers, and my life is in both of their hands because there's no clutch on the halyards as I'm coming down. I would very much like to be able to control my own safety line.

I know it can be done with a Prussik on a static line -- halyard rigged to the deck -- and I've tried that, but I find it fiddly.

Anyone do it as they suggest in PS? Does it work? Is it secure?


Professional riggers I know go up without any safety line at all. Seems crazy to me, but you can see that they are as at home aloft in the rigging as a monkey is in a tree. I envy them, as climbing the mast still scares me even after a lifetime of doing it.

[Jammer]

The way it works, you hoist the ratchet block with your climbing line already rove through it, and tie off the halyard.


You tie one end of the climbing line to your harness and use your ascenders or prusiks or belay or whatever on the other end. It's a variation of DRT (double-rope technique). People who climb trees do the same thing but use a tree limb instead of a ratchet block.


There are lots of devices for self-belay and descent on a single line. I like the Rock Exotica Akimbo but they're expensive enough that I don't have one. It has the advantages of being self contained, serving as both an ascent and descent device, and being able to be attached or removed in the middle of the rope.

[Jammer]

I would very much like to assemble a climbing rig around a good harness, a foot ascender, a knee ascender, and an Akimbo. And a flipline. Self-reliant and (relatively) safe.

[thomm225]

I use an ascender as a safety backup.

I climb up on my webbing ladder but have the ascender tied to my harness for a backup. I slide it up a halyard as I climb.

I recently bought a safety belt for when I get to the top so I can work with two hands

[Jammer]

How are you going to get down if the ladder breaks? Ascenders don't do "down" while loaded. That's why belays and hybrids exist.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Jammer

How are you going to get down if the ladder breaks? Ascenders don't do "down" while loaded. That's why belays and hybrids exist.

It's a webbing ladder.

It isn't going to break.

If it does though, I would simply climb down.

I can do 6-8 pullups so I have the muscles in place for that sort of thing.

Climbing back down a mast though I could use my legs also which would ease the load on my arms.

I used to have to climb up a rope 40' so mast climbing is much easier even at almost 70 years old.

Are all cruising sailors in such sad shape they cannot climb down a mast?

I weigh around 188-190 lbs.

This is the ladder I have.

https://4yachts.eu/shop/mast-ladders...SABEgLOmvD_BwE

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I was reading an article in PS today which recommended using a ratchet block on the safety line so you can control it yourself.

How would this work?

I'm intrigued because the way I climb the mast, I need TWO helpers, and my life is in both of their hands because there's no clutch on the halyards as I'm coming down. I would very much like to be able to control my own safety line.

I know it can be done with a Prussik on a static line -- halyard rigged to the deck -- and I've tried that, but I find it fiddly.

Anyone do it as they suggest in PS? Does it work? Is it secure?


Professional riggers I know go up without any safety line at all. Seems crazy to me, but you can see that they are as at home aloft in the rigging as a monkey is in a tree. I envy them, as climbing the mast still scares me even after a lifetime of doing it.

Due to liability reasons (most blocks aren't officially rated for lifting humans) most riggers are unwilling to give recommendations regarding this.

However, if I were to need to lift something heavy to the masthead in a controlled manner.... I would (in theory) use a Harken midrange ratchet block with a becket, connected to a halyard that is in excellent condition - with a well tied bowline. Then on the heavy object I would attach a Harken element single 80mm block. Then attach a high quality 1/2" or 9/16" line (regatta braid is comfortable to pull on) to the becket and run it down to the single block, back through the ratchet block, and then back down to the heavy object, creating a 3:1 purchase. Then I would attach a 6" horn cleat to the heavy object so it can safely be tied off.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Professional riggers I know go up without any safety line at all. Seems crazy to me, but you can see that they are as at home aloft in the rigging as a monkey is in a tree. I envy them, as climbing the mast still scares me even after a lifetime of doing it.

It's my boat. If somebody falls and dies on my boat at least some of the liability is on ME. I would NEVER hire a rigger who would go up the mast without a safety line.

On my boat you use an adequate safety line, or you go home. And I decide what is adequate.

I worked in potentially dangerous industrial environments. We would never hire a contractor and let them set their own safety rules. If they have an accident, its on us. Same on your boat. You are the owner/Captain. You set the minimum rules. If you stand there KNOWING a safety line is a good idea, and you allow someone to go up the mast without it, and they fall, it is YOUR fault. You are going to be held accountable, you might as well take the responsibility to do everything you can to keep people safe on your boat.

I have had a halyard break on me at the top of a mast. The safety line saved my life. I don't care how "comfortable" you are aloft. If a line fails, or a winch freewheels, or a linetender has a sudden medical issue, or... or... gravity will settle the argument.

A GOOD rigger is a SAFE rigger. There are lots of BAD riggers out there. It baffles me how someone can go 100 feet in the air risking their life on a halyard they have not personally inspected. The best riggers I have worked with bring their own lines, and reeve them through the mast before they climb, AND use a safety line.

[Madehn]

Mast lift by swi-etc. not cheap and you need two halyards but works well and you can control both up and down. I use it in combination with a prussic knot on the second halyard. With this rig I can do solo mast excursions safely.

[Mountainsailing]

I come from a climbing background, and I use a gri-gri, an ascender, and one aider to climb my mast solo. It works great! I have a 2:1 main halyard that fits both the gri, and the ascender. I pull a bit of slack, and then cleat the halyard off. Then the ascender goes on one side of the halyard with the aider and a sling to my harness as a backup. The gri goes on the other leg of the halyard clipped to the harness belay loop. Step in the aider, slide the gri up, sit in the harness and weight the gri, slide the ascender up. Repeat until you are where you need to be. When you get there, weight the gri and hang in your harness. After finishing up whatever caused the climb in the first place, pull the ascender off and rappel using the gri gri(what I do) or if you want the redundancy of 2 ropes, rappel using a belay device. You can tie a overhand knot in the gri side of the halyard once you are a bit above the boom, and this will keep you off the deck if you panic grip the grigri and drop yourself while rapelling. This system is redundant as you are climbing 2 sides of the halyard attached at different points. Safe, fast and easy.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by Mountainsailing

I come from a climbing background, and I use a gri-gri, an ascender, and one aider to climb my mast solo.

I don’t come from a climbing background, but use the same here. Look on youtube a little what arborists are using. Here’s what I use, but I’m a scaredy-cat.:

First 50 m of dynamic climbing rope and 2 carabiner to mount it on 2 halyards. 50m is a standard length and sufficient to go up my 15m mast twice. When I got my boat, it had wire halyards, but I found mounting a climbing rope more comforting. I attach each end onto on halyard and this way I have two independent lines. It has a few advantages, on being in case I have a heart attack when on top, I still can be lowered via the halyards. Also I can cleat the halyards as safely as I want and the rope matches the climbing gear.

One GriGri and one Ascender with a foot loop. Usually I use the other leg to stabilise myself against the mast. If you have a pulley like in the video, it’s a little easier, but just a carabiner works fine too.

One fall arrester for the second rope. This only gets dragged along. Can be done with a prussik knot too. This gives me safety in case the main halyard fails because or I damage it when working at the mast top.

One climbing harness and some carabiners and loops to make the whole thing work.

With this I can climb the mast alone safely.

Here’s a video how it works: https://youtu.be/S4DCwrmhh60

[oslokid]

I've been using this setup. I practiced in a safe place ahead of time as I'm not a trained climber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89w4pLANLvo

[Redboat]

Professional riggers I know go up without any safety line at all.

I work in a marina. Our professional riggers avoid climbing a mast at all prefering to use a bucket lift on a boom truck with the boat in the hoist well. If they have to climb a mast they have safety lines and make their time a loft short.

After 35 years in the business, they still want to go home at night.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by thomm225

It's a webbing ladder.

It isn't going to break.

If it does though, I would simply climb down.

I can do 6-8 pullups so I have the muscles in place for that sort of thing.

Climbing back down a mast though I could use my legs also which would ease the load on my arms.

I used to have to climb up a rope 40' so mast climbing is much easier even at almost 70 years old.

Are all cruising sailors in such sad shape they cannot climb down a mast?

I weigh around 188-190 lbs.

This is the ladder I have.

https://4yachts.eu/shop/mast-ladders...SABEgLOmvD_BwE

As Redboat pointed out, the risk is the halyard failing (either age or anchor point).


Of course, this is why you inspect lines, reeve new ones if needed, and use a safety line.


As for getting back down if the primary fails, and you were not hoisted in a bosun's chair, there are several options:

• If using and descender on the safety, use one that converts to lowering.
• Have a means of rigging a rappel. For example, you will have a haul line and should have carabiners and may have a descender.
• Assuming you have some slings, you can down climb the mast. Tedious.
• If the primary broke, odds are there is still a useable length attached to you. It did not fail along it's length, it failed because of local chafe or because it cut on something, probably at the masthead. The rest is almost certainly good, and you still have your back-up. Secure the remnant to the mast and climb down.

It's all contingency stuff. Think it through. The scary thing is old, natty rigging. Pull a new halyard and you really don't need to worry. Climbing ropes and new halyards don't break.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by thinwater

As Redboat pointed out, the risk is the halyard failing (either age or anchor point).


Of course, this is why you inspect lines, reeve new ones if needed, and use a safety line.


As for getting back down if the primary fails, and you were not hoisted in a bosun's chair, there are several options:

• If using and descender on the safety, use one that converts to lowering.
• Have a means of rigging a rappel. For example, you will have a haul line and should have carabiners and may have a descender.
• Assuming you have some slings, you can down climb the mast. Tedious.
• If the primary broke, odds are there is still a useable length attached to you. It did not fail along it's length, it failed because of local chafe or because it cut on something, probably at the masthead. The rest is almost certainly good, and you still have your back-up. Secure the remnant to the mast and climb down.

It's all contingency stuff. Think it through. The scary thing is old, natty rigging. Pull a new halyard and you really don't need to worry. Climbing ropes and new halyards don't break.

You have to use just a bit of common sense.

I wouldn't trust my body to an old halyard as a backup for my ascender and harness to be attached to.

Also, my webbing ladder is maybe 1 year old and rated at over 3,000 lbs. (1500 kg) so I'm not too worried about it breaking.