Darwin Award for Mast Raising

[doubleeboy]

Mast Raising From The Bridge? | TownDock.net | Oriental NC News, Weather & Photos

love the after photos, job well done

michael

[rockDAWG]

They are genius. I will try it sometimes. I wonder if I can use Bay Bridge to hull out boat to clean and paint the bottom over the weekend.

I need volunteers, Folks.

[SlowButSteady]

Technically, Darwin Awards are only awarded to folks who have taken themselves out of the gene pool (i.e., it is usually awarded posthumously), AND by doing so in an utterly stupid manner. This lot may have been cheap-skates, and not the brightest bulbs on the marquee, but they certainly don't merit a DA.

[jcalvinmarks]

I'm not going to lie, the thought of doing something similar has crossed my mind, maybe to replace a Windex or a masthead light, since my boat is too small to go aloft. In my mind, I'd anchor just shy of a bridge that's 5 - 10 feet too low for the boat, and kedge a second anchor out and pull the mast up snug against the bridge. Then boogie up to the bridge, make the fix, and have an escape and get away just before the Fuzz came to shut it down.

I've thought about it ... but I didn't do it.

And just based on the first page of pictures, it seemed like a reasonable thought. Probably not a great idea, but ... reasonable. But the very last picture puts the Fear into me.

[Boasun]

If it took Nine hours to raise the mast then it will deffinitely take them a few weeks to straighten them and tune the rigging.

[tommays]

Well

Compared to the 40' ladder tied to the boat and trailer trick i have seen it looks fairly safe its not like the bridge was going to fall down

[LandLocked66c]

You did see the nylon rope for rigging right? There's no tuning that. I would imagine they would of had to do the bridge because a rigger with half a brain wouldn't raise it for them I hope...

[chrisncate]

....

[nolatom]

Seems more like a Cheapskate Award than a Darwin, since it at least worked, and didn't kill anyone.

But at what cost cheapskateness?? A truly dicey maneuver which, if botched, could've hurt someone, or sent the mast down through the hull and into the riverbed like the spindle from Hell, but saved a $200-300 yard bill from deserving local businesses?

Math time--9 hours, about four people, so 36 hours to save, let's say, $270., that's $7.50 per hour, plus they still have "some weeks" to go to sort out the rigging (while the yard would've done it in an hour or so).

So-- two weeks' time to save a $300 yard bill. You could've gone ashore, worked a min. wage job, earned what, about $500 take-home, and not owe a big favor to your two volunteers.

of course, it wouldn't have been nearly this exciting. Nor would it have made the paper.


PS, edit. Now I see clearly. This 40-odd LOA boat has an *outboard* hanging off the transom? This is true cheapskateness, the act of saving money has outstripped the question of whether doing so is cost-effective, it's a religion in itself. so, never mind....

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by nolatom

of course, it wouldn't have been nearly this exciting. Nor would it have made the paper.

It is just like sailing. It is the journey not the destination.