Storm Damage - shredded jib

[mdatty]

High winds at the dock caused my halyard to break free and shred the jib. The halyard is now hopelessly enmeshed in the jib and won't budge. The spinnaker halyard is also wrapped and won't go up or down and I can't get the jib down. I have a Furlex 200S. Suggestions appreciated.

[Faster]

Some more info would help here.. internal or external halyards? What boat?

Are you talking about a stowed halyard that came adrift and attacked the furled jib? Did the spinnaker halyard do the same? Was the jib furled at the time or did it open up and thrash itself to death?

[mdatty]

Internal main halyard, external spinnaker halyard on a Tartan 33. The stowed main halyard broke free and attacked the jib which was furled.

[Faster]

Ouch.... so no functional halyard? or do you have a second jib halyard that's still OK? The T33's a frac is it not?

This sounds like a serious amount of time in a bosuns chair to try to untangle things - assuming you can get aloft at all. I gather unfurling's not an option now either. Cutting the main halyard and trying to clear up the jammed portion from both ends may be thought, but you need to be up there.

Wire or rope?

[mdatty]

Yes, it's a frac, and no, I don't know of a way to get up there.

[captflood]

Greetings if you hve a halyard for your main or a strong topping lift or two you could use those to get aloft domt forget your bucket on a string with the tools in this is where the climbing and sailing guys come together (sorry about the pun on guys) GO SAFE

[Faster]

Originally Posted by mdatty

Yes, it's a frac, and no, I don't know of a way to get up there.

Nearby mast tower? Raft another larger boat alonsgide and use one of their halyards?.. Heel the boat over a tallish pier?(difficult to do..)

Rent a 'man-lift' - that would be best if you can get alongside somewhere you can use it.

[sailingdog]

Just curious as to how a properly secured halyard broke free in high winds. Properly secured, it shouldn't happen, regardless of the wind strength.

Do you have a proper topping lift that you could use to go aloft on?

[hellosailor]

md, it may be simplest to send a rigger aloft. They (or you) can climb the existing halyards using prussic knots, that's a standard rock climbing technique. And if the mast section has some taper to it, it is actually possible to climb the mast itself with prussic knots.

Or you can climb the line using ascenders (Jumar ascenders being the "name" brand) which are faster but cost more. The rigger will probably have them for jobs like this.

The catch in all cases is that you need to provide for safety, attaching to at least 2 lines or one line and one something else (mast, rig) to make sure that if a halyard comes undone, it won't drop you to the deck.

Unless you can get someone with a cherrypicker or bucket truck to raise you up long enough to untangle (or cut) the old lines and rig new ones. If you're not sure what will be up there and don't want to get new halyards yet, take some parachute cord and fishing weights aloft, and drop that as messenger lines for now.

[jrd22]

Like Hello said, find someone with a set of ascenders, they should be able to climb the external spinn halyard and hopefully untangle the main halyard.