Mast Climbing -- Best Practice

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Captn Caveman

A word of caution for those coming from a rock climbing background or using climbing/mountaineering gear. Much of that gear is designed to be used on dynamic (stretchy) ropes. Using an open grigri or ascender as a backup that you release in the event your primary fails will result in a severe shock load. Any system where you are standing up at the top with an unloaded primary, counting on it catching you if you fall, is at risk of severe shock loads on your attach system. There have been many documented fatalities in climbing where someone has the rope unloaded while working at an anchor, counting on their (static) tether to catch them if they fall, and when they do the shock load causes a failure at some point in their system (not to the rope). Keep your primary line loaded at all times and have your backup almost as taut.
Also, if you think you can use an ascender as an emergency fall arrest device by manually engaging the cam once you have started falling, please don’t, or at least go try it in a climbing gym or somewhere safe first! It is NOT designed to do that..

Very god points!


I come from climbing, sailing, AND industrial access backgrounds.

The Goblin and ASAP are rated for both static and dynamic ropes. I've used them on both.

[carstenb]

Dockhead

WE have a set of steps right at the top of the mast that allows me to stand while working

We use two halyards, one as the hoist and one as the safety. Both run to winches through clutches. Vinni hoist me in one and tightens the other up every few meters Coming down, she drops me 2-3 meters until the safety is tight, then lets out another 2-3 meters of safety and drop me that distance until I am down.

Works for us - the most I can drop is about 3 meters which would not be pleasant but not fatal.

I use a Spinlock harness

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Captn Caveman

A word of caution for those coming from a rock climbing background or using climbing/mountaineering gear. Much of that gear is designed to be used on dynamic (stretchy) ropes. Using an open grigri or ascender as a backup that you release in the event your primary fails will result in a severe shock load.

While true, has limited application here. We're not talking about a lead climber on a multipitch who's 10 feet above his last anchor.

We're talking about someone who is either lowering himself, or being lowered like he's top roping. Shock loading won't really be a significant factor here.

After all, the bosun's chair isn't on a dynamic line. We're not really talking about climbing, we're talking about being raised and lowered. All I'm suggesting is a back-up safety device that can be controlled by the person aloft. That person would be easing the line while they're being lowered. You'd be looking at minimal shock loading.

[Shrew]

Incidentally, think about when repelling with an ATC. If you let go of the line, the decent is pretty slow. I've had the weight of the line suspend me where I needed to lift and feed the line into the ATC to continue lowering myself.

[Montanan]

Alternatives

https://www.pbo.co.uk/gear/7-mast-cl...-on-test-49797

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Incidentally, think about when repelling with an ATC. If you let go of the line, the decent is pretty slow. I've had the weight of the line suspend me where I needed to lift and feed the line into the ATC to continue lowering myself.

a. This is probably single line rappel, I believe, which is MUCH faster.



b. The friction depends on the weight if the line. 8o feet up, yes, there is friction. 2-30 feet from the deck, very little. On a single line, practically none.


You'll fall like a rock you let go. I've used an ATC since they were invented in the 90s. Similar things before that.

[Kettlewell]

Thread drift, but I consider mast steps nearly essential on a long-distance cruising boat since I have had them for around 30 years. I pop up the mast all the time to check on the rigging, fix bird repellant stuff, fix stuff at the masthead, etc. It has saved my rig at least twice when I went up to inspect things after hurricanes and found broken strands in the rig. Plus, when you're in coral waters or places like the Bahamas, the high-angle view from up high is invaluable in tricky passages. My daughter used to climb and sit on the spreaders to pilot us around in the Caribbean.

[NorthCoastJoe]

I am an x rescue instructor in the fire service. I would use a 8 plate with ears to lock in and to descend. I prefer to lower myself.
Once working a tree had someone lower me way too fast and hit the brakes just before I went splat. The shock that I took in my climbing harness was not very comfortable to say the least, I was on a static line.

[Kettlewell]

I prefer to lower myself.
Once working a tree had someone lower me way too fast and hit the brakes just before I went splat. The shock that I took in my climbing harness was not very comfortable to say the least, I was on a static line.

I really don't like trusting anyone else to pull me up a mast, and I have observed way too many people putting themselves in danger because the deck crew does not know what they are doing. And, I hate helping pull anyone else up a mast because they invariably aren't doing it in a safe manner I would use myself.

[MicHughV]

Alternately, if you really need someone to go up the mast...you could hire someone.
Most sailboat riggers think nothing of shimmying up a mast.

[skipperpete]

I just read through all the all the previous posts and saw no mention of “suspension trauma deaths” , most of the posts refer to safety aloft, competent line handlers on deck and methods of avoiding a fall to the deck…. It’s possible to die aloft from orthostatic shock.
On our marina I’m noticing people working aloft who should never have left the deck due to their physical condition, competence, weight or age, being hauled up with the help of the anchor winch with a plastic bucket of tools tied to the bosuns seat. A cordless drill or an adjustable wrench is a lethal weapon if dropped from a height.
My neighbors on the dock recently did a textbook perfect round trip up the mast, 2 on deck, one on the physical winching and the other handling/securing the safety line and observing the person aloft, both well clear of the drop zone even though all the tools ( in pockets on the seat) were individually secured by lanyards. Having been witness to one fall to deck at Hamilton Island and had a friend permanently injured in Sydney after another , I’m totally aware of how quickly mast work aloft can go bad.

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Tree climbers have well-established, widely used practices that have a good track record safety wise. Look for "rope walk ascent" -- there are many web sites, videos, books.
...

The above is my current preferred method, WHEN GOOD HALYARDS ARE PRESENT AND PROPERLY FIXED.

I've tried a variety of gear. Foot ascenders have been fastest for me when going up. A GriGri makes going up then down with a single device easy, but you need some secondary gear for between pulls. An ATC Guide is a good way to come down and is OK going up, but switching from up mode to down mode is not so easy when hanging from a rope. A rescue 8 is horrible going up but about the best coming down. Hand ascenders (Jumars) can also work. There are also ways to work with a Birdie, a tyblock, a micro traction, a mega-jul, and a handfull of other devices.

If I only have 1 good rope to work with, I use a line hitched directly to the mast as my safety. If I have no good halyards to work with, I rig prussics directly to the mast & climb alternating between those. It's slow like an inch worm, but if you have lost your only good halyard up the mast, it can get you out of trouble.

These days, I only use alpine harnesses. I gave up on Boson chairs a few years ago. I just don't trust them to keep a grip on me if I slip & twist in the wrong direction.

There is a gizmo you can buy that is basically a rope ladder that attaches inside the bolt rope track on the mast & gets pulled up by a halyard. That looks like a really good way to go, but I haven't used one myself.


I Am Very Fussy About the Condition of The Halyards I Go Up.

[poiu]

I go up on the spinnaker halyard. A figure of 8 attached by a carabiner to the bosun’s chair for comfort and to a climbing harness as a back up for the bosun’s chair. I run two dynamic climbing ropes to the top on another halyard, on one goes a Petzl ASAP fall arrest device, the other is to descend on using a Petzl descender or to climb up on if I’m on my own in a pickle. Then I use ascenders with foot loops and a chest harness. I use slings and carabiners to attach me to the masthead to work. We use the electric winch going to manual near the top to reduce the risk of dragging the halyard into the sheave.

And you are totally right to take this seriously. I went up last week to the first spreader to fix a new flag halyard. Too lazy and complacent to rig it all I just went up in the bosun’s chair. A crew member offered to go up, but I wouldn’t let him go without the full gear. It would take just a few minutes. That evening I hoisted the dinghy off the side using the same halyard - soon afterwards I was startled by the sound of the dinghy crashing into the sea. The halyard snapped, it broke at the masthead sheave. Old and sun damaged. Now that was a near miss. Don’t be stupid like I was.

[OldManMirage]

I'm not afraid of heights I guess, but I don't really like them either except for the view. That said I'm not scared to go up a mast. I did it alot when I was younger and I worked for a yacht broker. So maybe I'm just used to it now. I also worked as an electrician and I went up many an extension ladder.

But I feel many people over complicate this. It's really not that different than climbing a ladder. You take the same precautions and keep situational awareness and focus on NOT FALLING OFF.

So I like mast steps. And I like a simple linesman harness. I don't want to trust my life to some guy 40 or 50 feet below me who may not pay 100% attention all the time.

The linesman harness will stop me if my foot slips, and then I just put my foot back on the step. So far, my foot has not slipped. But why would it ? Just pay attention !

I will use a bosuns chair when I need to swing out to the end of the spreader. But the way I do it is to have it on me and tie it off myself to the spreaders when I'm up there. And I'll snap my linesman harness around the spreader before I swing out.

I am actually in the process of putting mast steps on my Endeavour 32. I'm halfway there. Here is a short YouTube video of my progress...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFTtuDhqDH4

I realize my way is not for everyone. But I feel the more complicated your method, the more chances of something going wrong. 2 lines, 2 people, a chair and a harness ? Murphy's Law says something is going to happen !

[Benz]

I go up masts as part of my work.
I use a dedicated static line hauled up a halyard, and ascend using a Petzl jumar and a chest ascender. Once at the top, I engage a grigri, and do all my work on the way down, stopping the grigri whenever I need to stop and work.
If it's going to be a long time aloft, I have a carbon fiber swing seat I made that I can clip to the grigri 'biner once I want to sit down. If I desired a backup line (I'm used to one-rope systems, and perfectly comfortable with them) I'd use a Goblin or similar.
The key to speed and efficiency is not to overcomplicate. I'm always trying to simplify my system, experimenting with ti-blocks, lighter carabiners, dyneema slingage, etc. Can't seem to get more efficient than the old (and what's currently in use by SPRAT rope-access guys) Jumar-and-chest-ascender combo.
Got some ideas on the mental drawing-board, but too busy to pursue them just now...

Anyway, back to @dockhead: I think your best bet if you're in any way spry is to invest in a jumar-grigri setup and learn to use it. If you're afraid of having a heart attack aloft, you can have a second person tending a line to lower your corpse with after they cut your primary, which would be belayed on deck.