going up the mast

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1

going up the mast

Nonsuch is great for single handing, so i believe you should be able to get up the mast single handed if you have to. I have seen the TN Topclimber in action and like it very much. I have a home-made version comprised of a climber’s harness and two climber’s rope clutches. One clutch is fastened to an arm’s-reach length of rope to the harness belt, so I can sit in it. The other clutch is on a pair of lines with sliding-knot loops around my feet that I can stand in. I can get up and down the mast myself on one halyard made fast and taught - by standing and sliding up the un-tensioned seat clutch, then sitting and sliding up the un-tensioned foot clutch. This outfit was a gift to me from Trevor Robertson - a friend and occasional visitor in Cape Breton who sails the globe mostly single-handed on SV Iron Bark.

After some practice you can get up and down very quickly, and you have the ability to stand or sit while you are working aloft. As you use mainly your leg muscles, in my case my aging arm muscles are in better shape to handle the wrenches, pliers… and whatever I need to do up there.

Using this climbing method, and a second halyard for the wishbone, I can raise/connect and disconnect/lower the wishbone from its hangers by myself.

You can buy the gear you need for this mast climbing outfit at MEC or any good outdoor adventure store. Match the rope clutches to your halyard.

You can also use the harness instead of a bosun’s chair if there is someone to hoist you on the halyard - and to me it feels much safer than chairs or slings. Also, the climber’s harness comes with several attachment rings for hanging rope or a tool bag.

Regards,
Greg Silver
Misty Cat / 26C #121
St. Peter’s, Cape Breton

  • dcarnrite@gmail.com Nov 01 02:26PM -0700

    I’m a relatively new owner of a Nonsuch 26. I bought the boat about a year
    ago. And my wife and I absolutely love it.

    Anyway, I want to get up the mast so I can clean years of accumulated dirt
    on the wishbone. Should I have any concerns about using a bosuns chair on
    an unstayed mast?

  • “John F. Iscaro” john@iscaro.com Nov 01 05:59PM -0400

    About two months ago I used an A TN top climber to change streaming light
    and to say I did it. Went very smoothly. Next stop the top. Btw in 6’

  • 205#

Greg Silver Graphic Design

Gregory Silver, B Des, CGD, FGDC

PO Box 178
St. Peter’s, Nova Scotia
Canada B0E 3B0

Office 902 535 3990
Cel 902 631 5050

greg@gregsilver.ca

2

I’ve had experience very much like yours sounds Greg. My harness with two ascenders are permanent equipment on my boat.

Last June I was in Annapolis as the “Race Across America” transcontinental, non-stop bike race just happened to be finishing there at the City Dock, and was able to use the rig to hoist a media commentator to the top of the mast to do “aerial” commentary of the finish line. That was fun, but I should have asked her for a picture from up there! As Alan Perrins said, you should always remember to take a camera aloft.

Ed Cook
“Chat-eau” N26c #173

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I highly endorse a climbing harness with 2 ascenders. Harness clipped to top ascender, 2 climbing runners (webbing) for feet to bottom ascender.
Ref. - book - Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills
Check REI for gear. You will probably want a couple locking carabineers, too.

You can inchworm up halyard by yourself (tie halyard off at mast base) or use your crew to hoist you up.

2 advantages with 2 ascenders -
1 - xfr weight to feet when bum gets tired, & vice versa.
2 - this is big plus - when you are chock a block at halyard block, as far as you can go, typically what you want to work on is at eyebrow level. With lower ascender, and appropriate runner lengths, you just stand up in runners to get another 18" or so higher.

If you have a second halyard, that is great for safety belay. I don't currently have 2nd halyard, so I rig a line that I loop around mast a couple times and slide up as I go. Tedious, especially as you have to move around fittings & boom slings as you go up, but I am nervous about trusting my life to just the halyard!

This is great fun, especially if you like a little adrenaline in your system. Take a camera up. I do recommend doing this in very calm water or tied to a dock, every little roll can feel like you are on the end of a buggy whip. Just crew walking from one side to another can be a real thrill.

Zan Strausz
NS26 110 Artemis
Anacortes, WA