My father just purchased an '88 30 Ultra and on my first time out I lost the halyard 5 minutes out.
As there’s only one halyard, I’m not quite sure what to do. Does anybody have experience with this sort of thing or know how others have solved this?
Sam: Notice how we all sign off our emails. We don’t know where you are and it’s hard to give advice. Personally, I would find a rigger or go to the nearest boat yard.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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Try a coat hanger bent into a hook(s) run up the flag halyard and whipped around to try an snag the main halyard.
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
http://biankablog.blogspot.com
Sam,
That is why I never detach the halyard! Sorry I don’t have any more useful advice.
Bob D
30C
Western Long Island Sound
Just posted my Nonsuch 324 on the web site.
Bill Zivko
Grand lake OK.
Usual procedure is to raft up to another sailboat, send someone up that mast on a bosun’s chair with a boathook, and snag the shackle.
Big sailboat to match the 30’s mast height, calm day, competent crew on deck to maneuver the mast heads close together and run the winch.
Tom
26C #28 North Star
Penetang
Hi Sam,
If you might have a flag halyard and you know the block is strong enough to support your weight, you can use the flag halyard as a painter line to take a second halyard or line sufficient to support you and a bosuns chair to the top of your mast to retrieve your main halyard. Don’t ask how I know about this… lol… or if you can utilize a hoist/gin pole sufficient to reach your main halyard, In lieu of that a rigger would be a good second choice.
Regards,
Dick (& Shirley) Darrow
NS30U Cativa
Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario
USA
I like Tom’s idea.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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There is a Nonsuch Facebook page “Nonsuch Sailors and enthusiasts”
You may wish to post it there. Everyone else, post pictures of your boat!
Brian
NS30u
Whitby
I read Toms Idea and peed a little.
Mike Galesk
Using another sailboat’s mast to retrieve your own halyard is a technique I’ve seen used successfully 2 or 3 times, and can be done while rafted or at adjacent slips. Don’t forget the cardinal rule when going up a mast: Always take a camera!
Bill Spencer - LIONHEART, NS30U 352 Hyde Park, NY
“Try a coat hanger bent into a hook(s) run up the flag halyard and whipped around to try an snag the main halyard.” Thinking outside the box, a drone and a coat hanger?
Bob D
Good afternoon,
I’ve been watching this thread and since I have been involved with two experiences of this type successfully I thought it best to speak up with the risk of making a butt out of myself.
Halyard up with a flag halyard or spare sail haylard or any other type line that goes near the top of your mast. I tied three very short stretch cord with those cheap black hooks together at the center of the stretch cord in the center to a flag halyard. Raised it up (don’t forget a painter line) and flicked once and caught the snap shackle. This was not on my Nonsuch.
Next time on a friends boat. No other line available: Used same rig on neighbor’s boat halyard pulled over boat. Took about 5 minutes but successful. Boat to starboard with halyard was taller. Manipulated line from two boats to port to achieve angle.
An unproven method is to tie same rig to a tennis ball, with painter, and start throwing. Negative is if you catch the goodies at the top of the mast.
Cheers
Butch Garren
Nonsuch 30 #196
Whiskers II
Solomons, MD
Good afternoon,
I’ve been watching this thread and since I have been involved with two experiences of this type successfully I thought it best to speak up with the risk of making a butt out of myself.
Halyard up with a flag halyard or spare sail haylard or any other type line that goes near the top of your mast. I tied three very short stretch cord with those cheap black hooks together at the center of the stretch cord in the center to a flag halyard. Raised it up (don’t forget a painter line) and flicked once and caught the snap shackle. This was not on my Nonsuch.
Next time on a friends boat. No other line available: Used same rig on neighbor’s boat halyard pulled over boat. Took about 5 minutes but successful. Boat to starboard with halyard was taller. Manipulated line from two boats to port to achieve angle.
An unproven method is to tie same rig to a tennis ball, with painter, and start throwing. Negative is if you catch the goodies at the top of the mast.
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Cheers
Butch Garren
Nonsuch 30 #196
Whiskers II
Solomons, MD
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Many thanks for the responses! We ended up bringing it to a nearby rigger (didn’t have a 2nd halyard or a friend with a taller mast around).
S.Haig
“Grace” 30U
Long Island Sound
Glad you have it solved Sam.
This forum provided a lot of ideas.
I summarize it like this:
Don’t lose the halyard or else it’s gonna cost.
Flag halyard cost – some bucks
Spare sail halyard cost - some more bucks
Rigger cost - OMG bucks
2nd summary:
Don’t lose the halyard.
But, someone out there will do it again, this year. If it’s me, I’m not going to tell.
Cheers,
Butch
Butch Garren
Nonsuch 30 #196
Whiskers II
Solomons, MD
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How did the rigger manage it? Curious minds want to know.
Bob D
Nonsuch 30C
City Island, NY
We were recently berthed very close to a fatal mast accident. Fortunately for us we were sailing when it occurred. We returned just after it had happened.
I can only say that everything we do on our boats is an exercise is risk management. When you go up the mast there are a lot of risks which must be taken into consideration. If you are going up the mast with only one support line and no back up, there is only one outcome if there is a failure in that system. If you are able to use a second halyard, your odds are improved. On the Nonsuch mast there are not a lot of things to clip onto as you ascend to minimize a fall, such as spreader bars.
If you are going up yourself, please use new lines and check everything in your system to ensure there is not a failure. I personally prefer to hire this job out to someone with the proper equipment who knows what they are doing and does it properly.
I guess we are lucky, at our harbor and many nearby harbors we can hire a bucket lift for $100+/- to safely lift us up to the mast top. In my youth I am sure I would have loved going up in a bosun’s chair, but now I much prefer the comfort and safety of a bucket lift.
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Well said, Peter. I couldn’t agree more. Our wonderful boats, regardless of how much we love them, are there for recreation.. for fun. If they have souls (and most do, I bet), they’d be none too pleased to know that we would risk our lives to deal with minor inconveniences like a lost halyard.
Be careful out there..
Ernie A. in Toronto