Mast Climbing (moved)

[Ian McColgin]

I used to be strong enough to pull myself up 100' just chair on the hoist and hauling on the fall. That's a 2:1 advantage. But in addition to getting 75lbs plumper and a few decades older, the big hassel of any hoist system is that the pile of line down on deck can get fouled if it's at all windy or if a passing wake caused the boat to roll a lot or sometime if the gods just hate you.

If you must use a hoist approach and it's only 2:1, you can pass the bitter end very loosely under the boom and belay it to your chair. That way you'll at least carry your slack aloft with you. If you hoist a tackle up so you go 6:1 or more, you'll be making more slack than you're carrying aloft and you'll be likely to tangle.

Even so, for short runs like to the lower spreaders, this can be worth the extra speed over climbing with ascendeers, which are quite slow unless you're going up a fixed rope. Thus, it is well to learn to use the ascenders on a fixed rope. A bit like climbing a ladder but it has its place. If you do, have whatever part you're climbing on belayable. Sit on it to take up all streatch and tie it thus. Otherwise, the slop your weight causes on the climbing part will interfere with the use of the ascenders.

I dont' usually used the fixed rope approach because it limits where you can go aloft, increases the stresses on the system, is slow for coming down, and is far less comfortable for working. However, for the fast job like replacing a steaming light or reeving a lost hallyard, the speed of a fixed rope going up may be worth it, especially if you are strong enough to unclip and slide down the mast for your descent. .

If you've no deck crew, you need to think of these things or sooner or later you'll end up high with no easy way down.

G'luck.