Going up the mast (solo) and what to expect at the top...

[stevie69p]

Yes, I did think about just changing the forestay with the mast up, but weighing up the unknown age of the standing rigging (some of the rigging screws look ancient, probably original, so now 40 years old), then the furler top swivel being fubar'd, it made sense to just pull in the time frame and do the whole lot. I was already planning on replacing the standing rigging at the next lift out.

[ffiill]

A climbing harness and a couple of handed ascender which can be carefully used to descend.

[grumpy_o_g]

The one thing that never seems to be expected at the top of the mast for some reason is bird carp, and usually a fair bit of it. My days of mast climbing are long past but quickly learned to take cleaning materials up with me. It was a real pain sometimes as this was before the days of ubiquitous plastic bottles and you would have to haul a bucket up if it was really bad.

[Allan]

A really interesting thread. On our present boat we have fold away mast steps which I would recommend to the OP. For others who, like a previous contributor, are winched up by crew/wife/skipper/etc. there is an easier way, without climbing equipment. Main halyard tied onto a bosun's chair and down to a winch, via a clutch, hopefully in the cockpit. Tie a loop into another halyard or in our case the topping lift. Then simply climb the mast by putting your feet in the loop and each side of the mast. When you are standing up on the loop, your assistant tightens the halyard, then sit in the chair and they can tighten topping lift. In our case the halyard is led from the coachroof winch to the genoa winch and locked while i'm working at the masthead. We still do this now I can use the steps. I have no problem with the height but my partner would have a big problem winding 110kg of me up the mast.
Allan

[peter gibbs]

The proprietary climbers get you to the top of the mast but not in a condition to perform two handed work safely. And they are expensive.

You need a length of climbing rope which you attach to the main halyard and haul to the top, then secure the halyard with clamp and knots. Take two ascenders (climbing gear) - the top one carries the bosun's chair and is clipped on to the climbing rope. The bottom one has a short length of timber attached with stout rope to act as a push bar for the feet. No bits of rope and prussic knots, swinging all over the place and unstable.

You sashay up the climbing rope pushing the ascenders ahead alternately, advancing your weight.
At the top you deploy a lanyard round your body (I use a galley strop) and the mast to steady yourself, whilst standing upright on the bar - this is stable and safe.

Usually best to assemble all work gear in a stout bag at the foot of the mast, trail an attached line up with you, and haul it up when in position..

Descent is the opposite of the above. You can also use a figure of 8 abseiler on a separate thick rope (12-14mm) hauled up at the same time as the climbing rope; stand on the wooden bar, transfer the bosums chair to the figure of 8 using a secure carabiner, step off the bar slowly placing your weight smoothly onto the abseiler and descend gracefully.

There is a warning, of course. It is not that the halyard or climbing rope will part, or the bosums chair disintegrate. No need to have a second carrying line - it gets in the way and endangers the ascent. The danger is from inversion in the bosums seat; so progress has to be steady.

I have used this arrangement for nearly 30 years and still do. When it's your life at stake you use only the best gear and check it all every time as if you were Chris Bonnington.

PWG

[Poey50]

The proprietary climbers get you to the top of the mast but not in a condition to perform two handed work safely. And they are expensive.

You need a length of climbing rope which you attach to the main halyard and haul to the top, then secure the halyard with clamp and knots. Take two ascenders (climbing gear) - the top one carries the bosun's chair and is clipped on to the climbing rope. The bottom one has a short length of timber attached with stout rope to act as a push bar for the feet. No bits of rope and prussic knots, swinging all over the place and unstable.

You sashay up the climbing rope pushing the ascenders ahead alternately, advancing your weight.
At the top you deploy a lanyard round your body (I use a galley strop) and the mast to steady yourself, whilst standing upright on the bar - this is stable and safe.

Usually best to assemble all work gear in a stout bag at the foot of the mast, trail an attached line up with you, and haul it up when in position..

Descent is the opposite of the above. You can also use a figure of 8 abseiler on a separate thick rope (12-14mm) hauled up at the same time as the climbing rope; stand on the wooden bar, transfer the bosums chair to the figure of 8 using a secure carabiner, step off the bar slowly placing your weight smoothly onto the abseiler and descend gracefully.

There is a warning, of course. It is not that the halyard or climbing rope will part, or the bosums chair disintegrate. No need to have a second carrying line - it gets in the way and endangers the ascent. The danger is from inversion in the bosums seat; so progress has to be steady.

I have used this arrangement for nearly 30 years and still do. When it's your life at stake you use only the best gear and check it all every time as if you were Chris Bonnington.

PWG

The fact that you are still alive after 30 years is not evidence of safety. If I have understood you correctly, this is a dangerous system. I'll elaborate later when I have some time.

[Daydream believer]

No need to have a second carrying line - it gets in the way
PWG

I think that is the wrong advice to place on the forum. I went up the mast one day & only had one halyard- breaking strain 4.5 tonnes so no chance of breaking.!!!
When after 3.5 hours at the top of the mast I came down my son queried the state of the halyard.
It was hot & with no water & with the uncomfortable position I was going faint. In my hurry to finish the job I found that i had drilled 2 holes through the rope. I think that if I had not started to loose consciousness & been lowered quickly I might have come down even quicker than I did.
To make matters worse the new halyard cost me £220-00
I know of a rigger who was fitting a radar to a mast who also drilled through the halyard he was hanging on to
So please- Have a spare line attached. It is not that hard to adjust as ascending/decending. If it is then the system is wrong
halyard 1 A (600 x 402).jpg

Edit
Since reading your post again- you mention abseiling down a separate rope. So presumably there are 2 ropes. But is this totally separate to the first? If not then my comments apply. However, It should , in my opinion, be operational, ie partially loaded, at all times to avoid a fall. Your system makes that a little awkward I suspect.

[NormanS]

I was up my mizzen mast just the other day, to install an extra aerial. Shackled the halyard to the bosun's chair, and with my wife taking up the slack, I quickly climbed up using the mast steps to the required position. My wife then made fast, and using the spare halyard, pulled up the bucket with all the bits and bobs. What's not to like?

[Graham_Wright]

I was up my mizzen mast just the other day, to install an extra aerial. Shackled the halyard to the bosun's chair, and with my wife taking up the slack, I quickly climbed up using the mast steps to the required position. My wife then made fast, and using the spare halyard, pulled up the bucket with all the bits and bobs. What's not to like?

That's what is not to like. I had a run in with the H&S adviser at SBS. He was horrified to observe that I used a "hand tied knot"!

He asked for a shackle and I then demonstrated that it was ideally positioned to take out teeth. I also queried how the shackle was attached to the halyard. Another "hand tied knot"?

Stupid prat.

Shackles can slide on the webbing which a knot can be arranged not to do. I use a fisherman's bend.

[NormanS]

My halyard shackle, to which the halyard is spliced, is passed through the two stainless eyes on the bosun's chair, and then shackled on to the standing part of the halyard. What's wrong with that?