Climbing the mast

[word2rapp]

I''m new to cruising and bigger boats. Just bought an old Morgan 30/2. Sailed it only twice. And never sailed anything with that I couldn''t demast myself. Anyway, I''m taking the sails off for the winter and the jib halyard seems to be stuck at the top of the mast. Can''t lower the jib (which is on a roller furling). Do I need to climb it? If so, how do I do that? Is there a special piece of equipment to help? Or is there some other way to get this jib off before winter?

[petercra]

Before going up the mast I''d check everything out with binoculars from the deck. It''s usually best to lie down on the foredeck to do this. If it went up without any problems it seems unlikely that the halyard is stuck. You may have a halyard wrap around the headfoil which could be cleared by furling and unfurling the sail. Or the sail may be stuck in the headfoil groove. A halyard wrap occurs when the swivel at the top of the sail rotates a different number of times than the foil, wrapping the halyard around the foil above the swivel but below the halyard block at the top of the mast.

[wlcoxe]

There may also be an internal halyard which terminates at the bottom of the rig. You didn''t say whether the sail was installed when you bought the boat or what kind of furling gear you have. Since I am looking at furlers, I am becoming aware that there are a lot of ways to do things. Good luck

[Irwin32]

If it turns out you must go up the mast, the traditional method to get up the mast is a bosun''s chair bought at West or Boat US. You will want at least two other people to help - preferably someone who has done it before. The chair and you are hoisted up on a halyard . Use a second halyard, like the spinnaker, as a safety line just in case the main breaks. Do not use a snap shackle to attach the halyard to the chair - they have been known to pop open. If your crew lacks experience I would have them hoist you a few feet and then lower you down so they get the feel of the lowering procedure before you''re 35 feet up. You will need a guy to crank and another to tail. The tailer can also tend the safety line which should be cleated off as you go up. We usually go about 6 feet or so and then take up the slack on the safety halyard and repeat. If your Morgan has an old style halyard winch - the kind with a brake - they have been known to slip, so again the safety of a second halyard is important. With this type of winch you don''t need someone to tail, so the second guy can tend your backup halyard.

When you relaunch in the spring you will need to go up anyways at that time to inspect your rig - always a good idea when the mast is stored up.