[killarney_sailor]

We set out for an epic eight mile journey from Prickly Bay to Grand Mal, Grenada and only made it about half way. We felt a serious impact like we had hit a big log or something. Turned out that a fitting at the top of the forestay had broken. The mast was being supported by the halyard and I very quickly hooked a spinnaker halyard to the foredeck cleat and tightened it. We were able to motor with no drama into the Port Louis Marina in St. George's which is very spiffy with a couple of mega-yachts and a few sailboats in the 90-foot range. Typing this by the pool next to the bar, but this place isn't really our style.

The rigger is coming at 9 in the morning. We really can't see what the problem is - does not appear to be stay itself, perhaps a toggle or shackle. Will see in the morning. Hope it is easy and quick to repair. I tried calling the marina on 16 and 68 (the local channel for pleasure boats) and got no reply from the marina. On further inspection, as they say in some sport, the bang at the mast top broke off the antenna. Have a spare antenna if it is only broken.

The joys of sailing ...

 

[RTB]

Yikes! Happy it didn't come down and hurt someone. I had a rigger check everything before we left back in 2012. Maybe I'll have him check it again before we leave.

Ralph

 

[Minnesail]

Yikes! That sounds terrifying. I'm glad it was during calm weather.



Just as a general question, which stays break the most?

The way I'm picturing it in my head the forestay would take the least load, since the pressure would mostly be from the side (close hauled) to the back (on a run). But somehow I know that's not right, the forestay must come under tremendous load sometimes. I guess I'm not picturing it right.

 

[tdw]

Ouch to that Bruce. What was the fitting that let go ?

Minne ..... I was under the impression that in fact the forestay is the most stressed of them all. Not that I have any technical knowledge to back that up but when I was discussing our rig with our rigger he certainly implied that was the case. He wanted to replace all our standing rigging and I wanted to put it off. He (or his bank account) wasn't happy but did push for at least forestay replacement.

 

[killarney_sailor]

I do an inspection of the rigging myself before any long passage - I did not think this 8 mile effort counted in that, but did check a couple of months ago and did not see any obvious problem. When the rigger is here tomorrow I will get him to have a look at everything.

Andrew, won't know until tomorrow what broke. I can't see from the deck or dock.

As to loads, I wonder if it varies with the kind of rig you have. We have a very large, single spreader rig (I notice that Ted Hood switched to a double spreader rig for the Little Harbor 44 and 46 that are very similar boats. On this rig, the highest loads are on the forestay and after lowers apparently. Just what I have been told, but told by professionals. I imagine I will learn more tomorrow. I guess we will need to unfurl the jib so the rigger can use the jib halyard. Could use the main halyard I guess. Hope it is not windy.

 

[tdw]

I do an inspection of the rigging myself before any long passage - I did not think this 8 mile effort counted in that, but did check a couple of months ago and did not see any obvious problem. When the rigger is here tomorrow I will get him to have a look at everything.

Andrew, won't know until tomorrow what broke. I can't see from the deck or dock.

As to loads, I wonder if it varies with the kind of rig you have. We have a very large, single spreader rig (I notice that Ted Hood switched to a double spreader rig for the Little Harbor 44 and 46 that are very similar boats. On this rig, the highest loads are on the forestay and after lowers apparently. Just what I have been told, but told by professionals. I imagine I will learn more tomorrow. I guess we will need to unfurl the jib so the rigger can use the jib halyard. Could use the main halyard I guess. Hope it is not windy.

Sorry ... didn't realise your OP was today, so I thought you would know by now.

Realise now of course that it is still up there as the halyard is holding up the stay and the furling gear.

Or am I still confused.

 

[outbound]

Just happy no one was hurt. Always thought such occurrences are an argument for keel stepped masts. Worry even a momentary loss of downward pressure would allow the mast to "walk" off its step if deck stepped. Fortunate it occurred in absence of significant wind with loading from sails. Is your mast keel stepped?

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

The rigger can have that job! Going aloft with a broken forestay just aint for me!!

Hope its a cheap repair

Glad it happened there and not mid atlantic!

Enjoy to pool



Mark

 

[hellosailor]

"Going aloft with a broken forestay just aint for me!!"
Tale all spare halyards forward and down to a strong cleat, and really what's the big deal?

How old was the standing rigging in question? And, with forestay now conveniently collapsed on deck, if you run a white rag on it, are they any meathooks apparent? Any sign that something on the masthead itself, rather than the rigging, let go? (Like a bolt holding up whatever the antenna was mounted to?)

 

[MikeOReilly]

Scary stuff. Glad to hear the mast stayed up Bruce. One of my great fears is to lose the mast. Funny how it happened on a simple little day trip. Hope the repair goes well (and cheaply) and you can get back to planning your trip north.

 

[tdw]

"Going aloft with a broken forestay just aint for me!!"
Tale all spare halyards forward and down to a strong cleat, and really what's the big deal?

How old was the standing rigging in question? And, with forestay now conveniently collapsed on deck, if you run a white rag on it, are they any meathooks apparent? Any sign that something on the masthead itself, rather than the rigging, let go? (Like a bolt holding up whatever the antenna was mounted to?)

See my previous post HS but as the forestay runs up the centre of the furling gear and the halyard for the headsail is intact then I'm presuming the forestay did not collapse onto the deck.

That's where I got confused earlier on.

 

[Faster]

Glad the rig was saved.. and that it happened where it did and when it did!

 

[paulk]

It can be difficult to spot upcoming problems in standing rigging. I sailed on a boat that had had everything inspected with dye, checking for otherwise invisible faults. All seemed OK. We went transatlantic to Ireland, (three gales) and up the Irish coast (50 knot squall) to Scotland. The boat continued out to the Hebrides, back to Scotland, and then down to Man, the Scillies, and Royan on the French Atlantic coast. Off Arcachon one of the leeward lowers suddenly dropped to the deck in about a 12-knot wind. We set up a spare jib halyard and looked for a rigger after we docked. Metal fatigue? It pays to be ready for anything.

 

[killarney_sailor]

Turns out it was a bronze toggle that broke (the eye part not the fork part). Last time I looked it was OK. The furled stayed up on the halyard so it was not a big deal. The rig was supported by the wind in the sail until I got a spinnaker halyard rigged. Also the mast is a very big section which helps. The rigging is five years old and seems in very good shape. The repair is not a complex one. The rigger went up late yesterday to see the problem was and came back today with a new toggle but a pin that is not long enough for the toggle (the current toggle is not as wide so the old pin would not work. They called their office to get the right size and someone brought one that was not the right diameter. They are coming in the morning to fix it.

Nothing to do but enjoy the pool, but these are not my sort of people. Just about everywhere you go in Grenada people (locals and cruisers) all say hello. Here when you pass most people on the dock they don't even nod. Must be a ***** to be rich. We are in front of a sailboat that I would guess is about 85'. When I looked at the guy at the top of my mast it looked he was on a typical 26 footer.

 

[hellosailor]

Nice to know that when a pro goes out to get a new part, they come back with the wrong one. Just like when us civilians go out for a bolt at Home Depot.(G)

Even nicer to know that given all the possibilities, it is "just" something that can be replaced easily!

 

[knuterikt]

It can be difficult to spot upcoming problems in standing rigging. I sailed on a boat that had had everything inspected with dye, checking for otherwise invisible faults. All seemed OK. We went transatlantic to Ireland, (three gales) and up the Irish coast (50 knot squall) to Scotland. The boat continued out to the Hebrides, back to Scotland, and then down to Man, the Scillies, and Royan on the French Atlantic coast. Off Arcachon one of the leeward lowers suddenly dropped to the deck in about a 12-knot wind. We set up a spare jib halyard and looked for a rigger after we docked. Metal fatigue? It pays to be ready for anything.

No one bothered to inspected the rig after the transatlantic or later in the trip?

 

[knuterikt]

Turns out it was a bronze toggle that broke (the eye part not the fork part). Last time I looked it was OK. The furled stayed up on the halyard so it was not a big deal. The rig was supported by the wind in the sail until I got a spinnaker halyard rigged. Also the mast is a very big section which helps. The rigging is five years old and seems in very good shape. The repair is not a complex one. The rigger went up late yesterday to see the problem was and came back today with a new toggle but a pin that is not long enough for the toggle (the current toggle is not as wide so the old pin would not work. They called their office to get the right size and someone brought one that was not the right diameter. They are coming in the morning to fix it.

Nothing to do but enjoy the pool, but these are not my sort of people. Just about everywhere you go in Grenada people (locals and cruisers) all say hello. Here when you pass most people on the dock they don't even nod. Must be a ***** to be rich. We are in front of a sailboat that I would guess is about 85'. When I looked at the guy at the top of my mast it looked he was on a typical 26 footer.

Good to hear that it was an easy fix. Good that you reacted so quickly.

 

[Cruisingdad]

We set out for an epic eight mile journey from Prickly Bay to Grand Mal, Grenada and only made it about half way. We felt a serious impact like we had hit a big log or something. Turned out that a fitting at the top of the forestay had broken. The mast was being supported by the halyard and I very quickly hooked a spinnaker halyard to the foredeck cleat and tightened it. We were able to motor with no drama into the Port Louis Marina in St. George's which is very spiffy with a couple of mega-yachts and a few sailboats in the 90-foot range. Typing this by the pool next to the bar, but this place isn't really our style.

The rigger is coming at 9 in the morning. We really can't see what the problem is - does not appear to be stay itself, perhaps a toggle or shackle. Will see in the morning. Hope it is easy and quick to repair. I tried calling the marina on 16 and 68 (the local channel for pleasure boats) and got no reply from the marina. On further inspection, as they say in some sport, the bang at the mast top broke off the antenna. Have a spare antenna if it is only broken.

The joys of sailing ...

Hey at least it stayed up! Wow. You are obviously in Grenada now. Hopefully it was an uneventful trip across the pond.

Take care,

Brian

 

[aloof]

Forestay does not suffer so much from load as it does from abuse: side loads, luffing, spin pole impacts. Plus it is the most dangerous to crew safety if it breaks.

 

[JonEisberg]

"Going aloft with a broken forestay just aint for me!!"
Tale all spare halyards forward and down to a strong cleat, and really what's the big deal?

Yup, but that's certainly one time I appreciate having an inner forestay, and a baby stay, as well ;-) With a deck-stepped mast, and single inline lowers, I want all the additional support I can get...

Just had my headstay down a couple of months ago, to rebuild the furler and replace the wire... Needless to say, I still waited for a dead calm day to go up the rig to lower it, and for another perfect day to put it back up, especially when one of those spare halyards needs to be used for that operation... And, as I like to use another spare halyard as a safety line for a fall prevention device, you start running out of spares rather quickly...