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Mastclimber Safety Line

4K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Allanbc 
#1 ·
The ATN Mastclimber is designed so that a solo sailor can ascend the mast. Everything you read strongly advises to always use a safety line when ascending the mast. Has anyone figured out an effective and efficient means of providing a self operated safety line with the mast climber?
John
 
#2 ·
prussic knot on a separate line or possibly the mast
 
#3 ·
Well the morning winds finally dropped below 15kts and the chop in the marina subsided and I finally got to practice with my new ATN Mastclimber. Thanks for your suggestion on how to rig the safety line. I attached the jib halyard to a stancion base and winched it down as tight as I could get it and attached the ATN to it. Then I attached the main halyard to a padeye on the mast and cleated it off as tightly as possible and put a safety strap using double fisherman knots to make a loop and a prussic knot to attach to the main halyard. Thanks for your suggestion, worked like a charm.
Denise expressed having some difficulty in using the ATN in another thread and a couple of SNers recommended small steps. Good advice. Going slow with small steps and remembering the sequence: stand, raise chair, raise safety loop, sit, raise feet, stand....
This, however is not to say the whole operation is like eating cake! First of all that tiny skinny old halyard no longer looks so robust. I know it's 3/8 Stayset X and is only 3 yrs old, but....
Everything feels spungy, like you are on a trampoline or bungy jumping, but when you look closely you are just swinging back and forth, not up and down.
Turns out the hardest part is the toll it takes on your arm muscles. I don't normally use my arms like that so I fatigued rather easily. But, slow small steps with rest stops helps.
So I got the shroud down, will fabricate the replacements today and install them tomorrow.
Thanks to SailNet Community for good advice and information.
John
 
#4 ·
Now, just imagine learning to do that about 500 feet off the ground in Yosemite, with the top end of the line attached to an expantion bolt and no safety line. Needless to say, smart climbers inspect their ropes and double check knots.
 
#7 ·
Talking with a client that also happens to be a sailor. was telling him about my halarious attempt to use the ATN. prussic knot was his suggestion.. What if you have to go up and there are NO halyards? prussic knot He showed me how it's done with nylon webbing.. interesting... Prusik Knot | How to tie the Prusik Knot | Climbing Knots

 
#8 ·
You can climb a mast with just prusik knots. If you do that, I recommend carrying extra slings to tie more knots when you cross the spreaders. Doing that means that you do not have to untie and retie your knots while hanging onto the mast.

I'm a caver so I just use the system that I use for climbing out of pits. It is much more efficient that the ATN. I also haul a piece of static caving rope up the halyard to make climbing easier. When I am done, I switch over and rappel down. To me this is much easier and safer, especially since I have the gear and have been doing vertical caves for over 30 years.
 
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