Stepping the Mast

 

Charlotte’M  should have been launched into Portland Harbour by the 31^st March but other commitments were to prevent this. Before this however we had to get the mast up.  Since neither I, nor any one I knew, had ever done this before it promised to be interesting.  So it proved.

 

Fortunately the chosen day, the 29^th March dawned fine and with light winds.  My brother and I had spent many a happy hour working out how the rigging went.  The standing rigging turned out to be fine, in spite of the fact that I had never dealt with self-furling gear before. My guesses as to how it was run and fitted were all correct, or at least have proved good enough to sail in force 5 winds under large Genoa and main.  The running rigging proved more difficult.  Although now it is all done, it seems perfectly simple and straightforward, how to run and fix the Main and Genoa sheets all took a lot of thought, as did the vang.  What a good job the rigging is not complicated on a Stella!

 

I thought the halyards would be simple but it was these that proved my undoing and left me “up a gum tree” so to speak.

 

We were “ready “ to step the mast.  The crane was hired and duly arrived with driver and assistant.  I had decided that the way to lift the mast was from under the main spreaders and to counterbalance the top heaviness with my weight.  The top of the mast was towards the stern and I thought it would be simple to slide the mast so that the base was over the mast step and then lift it vertically to drop it in. The crane driver disagreed and wanted to lift the mast from the top.  When I asked how we would retrieve the sling he suggested that I be winched to the top of the mast.  Since the only person to winch me was my brother, who had never used a winch before and the last time I had been up a mast in a bosun's chair was over thirty years ago I was not too keen on this.  My view of how we were going to step the mast therefore prevailed, although I was by no means confident that this was how it should be done. This turned out to be one of the most successful operations I have performed on poor Charlotte’M.  The mast was in the step and up with all shrouds, forestay and backstay loosely but securely connected in about fifteen minutes.  The sling was untied and the crane driver and his assistant departed.  I could not believe how well it had all gone.  I should have known better!

 

I looked up the mast and horror of horrors the halyards were running the wrong way through the upper stays.  As I have already stated I was not keen to go up the mast, particularly with only my brother, who had never done it before operating the winch.

 

We took a trip to B&Q in Weymouth and purchased one of those extendable poles for painting ceilings, washing windows etc.  After two or three hours of struggling and without success, the crane driver’s assistant, who had returned to the site to launch a small motorboat noticed our plight and came over.  He agreed to operate the winch, with my brother tailing for him, to hoist me up the mast.

 

I have to say I was still not overjoyed at the prospect of “going up the pole” but there was no alternative.  After all I had made up all the halyards and fitted all the rigging myself, so I put on my bravest face and most confident swagger and fetched the Bosun’s chair, a small board with a hemp rope harness (how old was this?).  I checked everything as thoroughly as I could by swinging sitting and bouncing and pronounced myself ready.  The winching started.  I was surprised at how much stretch there appeared to be in my brand new halyards, it seemed an age before my feet left the cabin roof.  I then made steady progress up the mast hanging on for dear life with both hands and feet.  I could swear I developed prehensile toes.  At last I reached the point where I could reach the halyards to re-route them.  My winch man had just tied me off securely and I was in the process of hauling up the main halyard to re- route it, when his mobile phone rang.  He shouted up that he had been called away but would be back in five minutes.

 

It took about five minutes to re-route the halyards but there was no sign of the winch man.  By now I had gained enormously in confidence and started to look around and take stock of my surroundings.  The boat yard is situated next to the main road from Weymouth to Portland.  On looking towards the road I noticed a bus parked at the bus stop, with the whole busload of passengers laughing and pointing in my direction, I smiled confidently back and waved.  I remained “up a gum tree” for about twenty minutes until I was finally winched down.  During that time I obviously provided much amusement for everyone passing along the road.

 

At least the boat was now ready for launching, or was it?  Everyone I could speak to about a clinker built wooden boat that had been out of the water for three or four years, suggested that it would take several days, if not weeks to “ take up” I had at the most two days for this to happen.  Would she float or sink?

 

I had two more weeks to make my final preparations for the launch.  Would Charlotte’M float or would I get that sinking feeling. 

 

Well if you look on the my web site you will see a short video of my brother and I sailing her in Weymouth bay so she floated but it was as you might expect not quite as straight forward as that.