tight support guys are at wrong mast position

Posted By: Paul Germain
Date: 8/17/07 7:10p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: I always use mine, although (Gary, 2023, Milwaukee)

Wow, that was an exciting description - of a horrible situation, of course. My brackets are positioned so that the guys get tight when the mast is half way up. This is the position where the mast is most at risk of veering to the left or right because of the weight of the mast being higher above the boat, which can cause the boat to heel, which in turn can cause the mast to veer into the direction of the heel. It sounds as though your guy brackets on the deck walkways were moved forward. I can't imagine why. Having heard about your experience, I am considering attaching an extra set of guys to the gin pole itself. All in all, I think my method of manually pushing the mast up (or lowering it) with my hands and body, while at the same time releasing (or pulling) the line connected to the block, is the safest way to conduct this procedure. When lowering the mast, I simply walk aft to the end of the cabin top while holding on to the mast. When raising the mast, I start at the end of the cabin and walk the mast forward. It is awkward to do this while also pulling or releasing the gin pole line, but the extra security is worth it. I would much rather be able to control and support the mast directly than hold on to the gin pole.