Preparation for lift...

Had no idea that that elongated tacking session the other day was actually going to be my last sail of the season, but so it has panned out.. 😏

A succession of low/light wind days, and insufficient tide, has caused all to come to an abrupt end, as I had commitments to make with the Jolly Boys to lower the mast. With signs that the weather is also about to break (and I've seen more than one forecast showing F8's this weekend) then the best place for Sparrow is ashore, safe and sound in the car park..

Before..

Monday, then, I went out in the tender to Sparrow in quite possibly the flattest calm I've seen in the moorings, and took the genoa off, and also the boom with main attached..

During...  genoa gone..

Like a mill pond - and perfect for the operation in question..

After..  all gone.. 

Sails/boom off and there was just time to install the mast crutch, this is the Mk2 version with the folding extendable arms, as trialled last year during the mast raising... 

I foresee a Mk3 version as the folding arms are excellent, but do not fold away as easily as I would like, and it has also been pointed out that the crutch doesn't need to be so high as the mast would still clear the  cabin top even if the cross piece was a foot lower..

Once all the sails were off and crutch on a quick check of all halyards and I noticed this on the jib halyard..

Nothing too serious but clearly where the halyard has been rubbing on the eye strap I use as a halyard diverter for the furler... new line is softer than the old one..

Cut a foot off and re-whipped the hard eye - jobs a good'un and that is officially the first job completed on the Winter '23/'24 list.. 😀

That was Monday, Tuesday I took the A frame, mast support, and mast rest out ready for the drop which was today, Wednesday.

The Jolly Boys convened this morning at the club (Rodders and t'other Dave) and having checked her availability, transferred to Sparrow via Mylor, the club workboat (makes life so much easier).

The mast drop was completed successfully, and very smoothly, no issues, no problems, all limbs and external body parts still in place and intact - other than using the main halyard as the restraint rope rather than the jib halyard to all intents and purposes it all went exactly as previously documented [clicky] ad nauseum.. excellent result. 😀

Job done, the team convened in the cockpit for beer, pork pies, and a new delicacy we've recently acquired a taste for 😋, before returning ashore triumphant.. good result. Thoughts now turn to lift out which may well be tomorrow..

Mast down and ready to come out....

So on Sunday the intrepid band of brothers (well...  sub annnexe...  as Smithy and t'other Dave aren't safe to be let loose on a small boat) of Rod the Mod, Dave and I convened aboard Sparrow for the bi-annual wrestle with the mast foot bolts that is the mast raising/lowering...

Have to say that this years was probably one of the best mast lowering's we have - didn't really do anything significantly different to previous attempts [clicky],  and we must have done this about a dozen times now as a team... 

I'd bought a small pry bar to help with just "ooching" the mast up a bit to help getting the bottom bolt out of the mast/tabernacle - not a massive success, but Dave had a suggestion to just slightly increase the size of the bolt holes on the tabernacle..  will do that this winter...

Other than that, the drop was smoother than a smooth thing and fairly soon we were reduced to this ==>

The sun was shining as we took the mast down - chilly though as last weeks easterly was still with us - true to form the showers came in just as I cracked open the boats bar, but I can't say that it interrupted the chat and the joshing...  we were then joined by "Solitaire" David who was down to check the aforementioned ready for this weekend when he will sail and motor round for the lift out..  ace - never had four people on Sparrow before...   we were errr..  'snug' 

Few beers and some pork pies later and it was time for home - good result, good afternoon... and that's what it's all about...

Mast up

After a poor weekend for putting masts up (don't mind rain, but it was windy) I took a crafty afternoon off yesterday to put the mast up with Rod the Mod - erstwhile skipper of Ami-Ly [clicky]. It turned out to be a perfect afternoon, wall to wall sunshine, and a slight breeze...

So..  in order....

Undid all the mast fastenings and free'd everything up, made sure the halyards all ran clean, and then undid the fastenings holding the mast to the crutch and the pulpit. One foot at a time we then moved the mast back, so we could attach the foot to the tabernacle - two holes at the mast foot, used the top one as the pivot point. Left the upper part of the mast in the crutch...

Next the A-frame was then deployed - I have no mid-ship cleats (#oneforthejoblist 😏) so I used the forward chain plates as the anchoring point for the base of the frame as they were nearest in line with the mast tabernacle...

Next, using the jib halyard as the lifting line - I attached it to the apex of the  A-frame (upper edge) - I used the main sheet as the lifting tackle (it's 4:1 so loads of grunt) one end also goes to the apex of the A-frame (under side) the other end (the pulling end) to the stem fitting. I use a fixing point on the stem fitting just behind the point where the forestay attaches, so that the tackle doesn't get in the way of attaching the forestay..  A frame was tensioned so that it angled about a foot from vertical towards the top of the mast... (if you're interested this will give you the idea [clicky])

Then we attached the cap shrouds and rear lower* shrouds

At this point another mate (Dave) turned up, which turned out to be most useful as he had his dinghy with him which allowed him to move round the boat attaching clevis pins and adjusting shroud tension as required, but without having to get on the boat - cheers Dave!

So all in place - roller furling/forestay on my shoulder ready to pass forward as the mast raised, I sat on the foredeck facing forward I took up the strain on the main halyard as Rod in the cockpit started to lift the mast and away she went - short halt half way to free up the cap shrouds that had caught under the pins for the aft lowers, and also to detach the forward lowers*..

Once the mast was up, Dave attached forestay to stem fitting, and Rod and I struggled to get the bottom pin into the mast foot - it was half a cm out until in the end we came up with the ploy of using my biggest screwdriver as a lever to just lift the mast slightly - just slipped it under the mast and used a scrap piece of ply to protect the deck and act as fulcrum which raised it enough to slip the bolt in. Thinking on it - I think the existing bolts are under sized, so the upper one is not holding the mast as snugly as it should - I'll get bigger ones for next time (#anotheroneforthejoblist 😁)

Once the mast was secure we attached the forward lowers, Rod attached the back stay, we all tightened everything up, and job done. Guess it took about an hour end to end but we weren't exactly rushing...

Retired to the cockpit for post-prandial snifters...  thanks Badger! (Errr... all free samples gratefully received...😘)

They have the look of people who have earned a pint - I'd agree! Dave left, Rod right, me behind the beer in fore ground...

... bit of chat ensued and we reckon we've known each other for 25 odd years now.. proof below...

This was 1989 at a regatta at Calshot Activity Centre..   Dave second from right, me on the end far left, not sure where Rod was!

I took up windsurfing in about 1986 I think, I believe this is Dave in 1984 sailing his wooden Orbit at I think Grafham or Rutland Water.. I remember that board fondly as Dave kept it way after he'd started buying more modern kit... it was like a piece of Chipendale it was so highly polished...!

....chat completed, tide going - it was time to head for home, or in mine and Rod's case The Ship for another pint and a pork pie.

Last of all - the proof in the pudding - apologies for the quality - forgot to take one when I was in the dinghy so this was on the way home...

I'll fit the boom and sails on Saturday hopefully, which leaves Sunday/Monday for first sail - can't wait...

* Bit of a lesson learned - the forward lowers act against the rise of the mast if they are attached - better to leave them off..