[Coreyboy18]

I went up the mast for the first time, yay! I've got a small boat, yes, but the mast certainly feels higher once you get up there. I was replacing a bulb, but found out that I've got to replace the whole fixture...corroded like a motha. I've actually got a few projects that I've been taking care of lately since being laid off of my job...I find I have a whole lot more free time now! Anyway, I was excited so I figured I would share.

It is only 27ft high, but you know what I mean...

And one of the marina and the lake...that is Southern Yacht Club's new building being built on the right over there.

 

[mrwuffles]

What happened to the whole "dont look down" thing????

 

[Coreyboy18]

I must say I was scared as hell, and still didn't figure out how the hell people take the pictures without getting a piece of themselves in it!!!

 

[djodenda]

Umm... You have very strange looking feet...

David

 

[nolatom]

Since when I was younger I used to weigh about 130, I was the favorite candiate for the bosun's chair. the trickiest part was to keep your feet from resting on the spreaders on the way down. So well done, and fix it the first time, so you don't get nominated again. Or find an shoreside crane or ladder ;-)

Corey, an edit after I actually read your first post and realized that you, like me, sail out of West end in New Orleans: At the Southern yacht club is a ladder on the crane post, right on the edge of the dock, plenty of water for you, but you'll need to make friends with someone from the club. That's not so difficult. So next time, if you can't get it back easily, head over there and make a friend, then climb up alongside your mast and grab the halyard.

 

[kjango]

Is the old lighthouse still there ??? I did the roof & millwork when it was restored for the bi-centennial in 1976 .

 

[craigtoo]

Cool Shot!

 

[xort]

What happened to the ice? Did you take that picture 4 months ago? The water isn't frozen?????????????

 

[SailingStNick]

What happened to the ice? Did you take that picture 4 months ago? The water isn't frozen?????????????

Not Lake Pontchartrain!

 

[NOLAsailing]

At the Southern yacht club is a ladder on the crane post, right on the edge of the dock, plenty of water for you, but you'll need to make friends with someone from the club.

Or go on a Monday! :laugher :laugher :laugher

 

[buckeyesailor]

a 27ft. splat and a 50 ft. splat amount to about the same thing......

hats off to ya'.........I've yet to make the climb....

I did used to work 300ft. in the air however on oil rig construction....but I was young and stupid then.....didn't count...

 

[Coreyboy18]

Umm... You have very strange looking feet.

Yeah, my Vibrams...wouldn't sail without them!

Corey, an edit after I actually read your first post and realized that you, like me, sail out of West end in New Orleans: At the Southern yacht club is a ladder on the crane post, right on the edge of the dock, plenty of water for you, but you'll need to make friends with someone from the club. That's not so difficult. So next time, if you can't get it back easily, head over there and make a friend, then climb up alongside your mast and grab the halyard.

Yeah, I figured that was the easy way. I actually felt a little safer with two safety lines plus the one I was being hauled up there on. Otherwise, I could have ended up wet and cold...not that 80 degrees F is cold outside, but the water is a little chilly right now. Where do you keep your boat slipped at? I am still in Municipal right now, until the construction begins anyway. I would like to get back into Orleans Marina, but it is pretty tough.

Is the old lighthouse still there ??? I did the roof & millwork when it was restored for the bi-centennial in 1976 .

No more lighthouse...Hurricane Katrina...but thanks for the work, it was appreciated.

What happened to the ice? Did you take that picture 4 months ago? The water isn't frozen?????????????

Water tends to not freeze when it isn't 32 degrees F or below. But that's ok, it just means we have to sail all year around here...DARN!

 

[merc2dogs]

So, what's the deal with the vibrams?

Sorry, but I'm the type that prefers to have feet free and my toes able to grip when I need to climb. (wore mocs or went barefoot till I was 20) I normally go barefoot so I can hold on (I have long toes!) would like to hear more about them, never seen them before.

Yeah, I normally wear modified boots or go barefoot when I have to climb

I'm good at climbing, when most people say give me a ladder, I'm saying give me a second to get up there.

I'll climb a 50ft tree or mast in a heartbeat, but a 10ft ladder makes me nervous, odd maybe, but the tree GREW there, while someone just walked up and leaned the ladder against the wall.

Ken.

 

[seachest]

Corey
years back i remember having a man up the mast in a boatswains chair. The halyard was around the winch which i was operating, Suddenly his wife came aboard and said: "Get that damn dog off my boat" Richard being up the mast shouted down just get in the boat,just get in the boat. Hope this story is as funny reading it as it was being their.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Luckily i'm to fat to be considered eligable but if i have to go i'm always made to climb

also congratulations

 

[Coreyboy18]

So, what's the deal with the vibrams?

Sorry, but I'm the type that prefers to have feet free and my toes able to grip when I need to climb. (wore mocs or went barefoot till I was 20) I normally go barefoot so I can hold on (I have long toes!) would like to hear more about them, never seen them before.

Ken.

Ken, the Vibrams allow just that. The shoe is "custom fitted" to your foot, and the toes are divided into their individual compartments, like those toe socks that you've seen before. They are made to mimic the feeling of walking barefoot, except you get the protection and grip of a thin rubber sole which is razor sliced at the bottom for extra grip. The shoe was originally designed as a barefoot alternative for climbing, trekking and sailing! Now they have many more styles and are meant to be worn as your normal shoes. They are the best shoe that I have bought yet, and are perfect for sailing because they don't mark up the deck, and allow the ability to safely run around it that boat shoes don't. It seemed I was always barefooted because I like the feel of the grass under my feet, or the different pressures from walking on gravel and sand, but didn't like that I could get cut or hurt. Then I found the Vibrams. I will put the website at the bottom there and you can go check them out, they tell lots of stuff about them there. Oh, and I am in no way associated with Vibram...I just really like the shoes!

Vibram Five Fingers: Discover the Barefooting Alternative

 

[Perithead]

I have had a pair of the Vibrams for about a year now, maybe longer. Like Corey, I love mine to and I wear them alot when Im at the boat. They really are like being barefoot, they are light and your toes can flex freely.

I wouldn't recommend them for everyday shoes if you walk on hard surfaces all day because the sole really isn't cushioned. But for the boat or some other outdoor activity they are perfect!


I have been up my mast three times I think. I really enjoy it, the view is great. Its a bit of a rush sometimes if the marina isn't calm.

 

[merc2dogs]

Thanks!
I'll be looking for a local retailer, they do look like something I'd be happy with.

Ken.

 

[Coreyboy18]

I wouldn't recommend them for everyday shoes if you walk on hard surfaces all day because the sole really isn't cushioned. But for the boat or some other outdoor activity they are perfect!

I have been up my mast three times I think. I really enjoy it, the view is great. Its a bit of a rush sometimes if the marina isn't calm.

I wear them as everyday shoes for about eight months out of the year. I wore them while I was in Rome for four weeks, walking around the city, through museums and just anywhere that I went. I must say, that getting used to the "no cushion" thing was pretty rough at first, but you get used to it after a while. It helps your posture too, but if you have bad knees they may not be for you. I brought up the walking around Rome thing because everywhere you go there, it is stone of some sort and so that was another thing that took a little getting used to. But to each their own, right?

When I went up the mast the other day, it got a little scary at times when the wind would really start picking up. I found it hard to stay stable, facing one direction, even with my legs hugging the mast. So yeah, I would say it was a rush!

 

[Sapperwhite]

I must say I was scared as hell, and still didn't figure out how the hell people take the pictures without getting a piece of themselves in it!!!

Its easy, pull your legs up but keep them wrapped around the mast. Then, keep the camera at arms length below you and use the screen on your camera to frame up your shot, and take a few in case one or more comes out bad.

I have five fingers also and wear them a lot. I ever run in mine, the most being five miles at a time.

Five fingers Rome

Five Fingers Pompeii