Check out this new yacht! The Hanse 575 has some pretty impressive features to say the least. Although it is riddled with modern design and not for you classic lines types, it is still worth a look.

From the deck sweeping, self-tending headsail.

To the really unique dinghy bay and wash down station located inside the fold down transom (which doubles as a swim platform). This boat has capitalized on the cruiser/racer concept, with an emphasis on the cruiser end of things (just have a look below).

The open plan cockpit has all the necessary lines led to the helm and controlled from the push of a button via the electric winch.

The boat’s deck offers plenty of space both inside and out you can move forward to the foredeck along the modern flush (ish) deck without much hassle. Quite a yacht…….and the jet drive dinghy is included! I am looking forward to seeing this one at this years Annapolis Boat Show.

When un-stepping the mast there are several things that need to happen in preparation for the actual mast removal. Small boats or big boats alike, first things must come first. All of the sails and sail covers should be disconnected, flaked, folded, or rolled and stowed. When doing this, any battens should be labeled and removed. Also, sparing any sail pendants or strops, tack shackles, head shackles or clew shackles should stay with the boat’s rigging not the sails. Neatly coil and label any associated sheets.

Stow the lines: Next, uncoil all remaining halyards and un-cleat the associated cleat, jammer, or clutch. Now take the working end (shackle end) of the line to the mast to be stowed near or around the boom’s gooseneck area. Make sure to look up that the entirety of the line and make sure it is running cleanly to the top of the mast. Take forward any foresail furling lines, mark the drum with an arrow that indicates which way the furling line to be spooled on (i.e. clockwise or counter clockwise) and un-spool the drum completely. It is up to you whether or not you wish to remove the entire line, coil and label it, or leave it neatly coiled hanging from the head shackle on the swivel. Either way, un-spooling the furling line before you unstep is always recommended in case you need to work on the furler after it is down because it is hard to do with the furler laying on the ground. Lastly, tidy up any remaining lines (i.e. runner block and tackles, cunningham, in mast furling lines, lazy jacks, etc…).

TIP: Leave one of the shorter tailed lines available (uncoiled) for tying up the furlers and rigging once the mast is being lifted off of the boat.

Remove the boom: Remove the main sheet and vang tackle. Tie a stopper knot or leave the shackle in the working end of the reef lines and outhaul and suck them tight into the end of the boom. If any of these lines are rigged and run externally, remove, coil and label them neatly. Temporarily tie off the boom to keep it from swinging side to side. Remove or stow the boom end of any lazy jacks (if present). With the boom resting in the boom’s topping lift only (or Boom Gallows if present) remove the cotter pin or locking nut of the boom toggle’s horizontal pin. With someone at the outboard end loosen and remove the boom’s lift and take it to the mast to be stowed with the rest of the lines. Then remove the inboard end’s horizontal pin and lift the boom off. You can stow the boom forward on the side-deck on some fenders or cushions, or take the boom off of the boat entirely (if you plan on doing work to the boom). When leaving the boom aboard make sure that it is securely lashed to the boats toe-rail.

Prepare and mark the rigging: Now go around, remove any tape or turnbuckle coverings and straighten and remove all of the cotter pins. Leave the cotter pins in the clevis pins at the chain plates for safety, but make sure they are straight and ready to be pulled out. While doing this, before loosening the turnbuckles, make a mark where the threads intersect the turnbuckle body. You can use tape or Sharpie. This will be important if any of the stays need to be replaced, serviced, repaired or duplicate the rigging tension once re-stepped.

Disconnecting the electrical items: Next you will need to find the electrical junction. This can be tricky sometimes. These connections will typically be near the base of the mast. Sometimes there are electrical access panels in the mast. Sometimes you can follow the wires out of the base of the mast to their junction location. Sometimes the connections are inside the mast and you will need to wait until the mast gets slightly lifted (this is typical with deck stepped masts where there are no other visible wire junctions, above or below decks). Some deck stepped masts will utilize a ‘plug’ style connection which goes directly into the deck. The wires can also sometimes be located at head level just below decks for keel stepped masts. Either way, make sure you do a thorough job looking for these mast junctions, sometimes it takes a little effort to find where they are hiding. It is almost never the case that there are no junctions at all and that all of the wires run through the boat and to the associated panels, displays or radios. However, it is possible that some of the wires run directly (without junction) to their instruments, i.e. digital wind instruments, TV antennas, VHF antennas, and radar’s. If this is the case find a good spot to cut the cable. One that leaves you some service length on either the boat end or the mast end depending on which part of the cable (i.e. boat end or mast end) you are likely to replace the soonest. If you are not planning on replacing either end anytime soon, take your time to ensure that you make a smart cut somewhere near the other cable junctions. Most manufacturers of these radars, digital wind instruments, and antennas, offer product specific junction boxes, couplers or splice links. As for what does have a junction and just needs to be disconnected, make sure all of the wires are either color coded, or make labels, maps, and/or take pictures of the wires so that you know where everything goes.

Prepare the mast step and/or the deck ring: If the boat is deck or keel stepped make sure there is nothing at the step that might keep the mast from lifting up, i.e. cross bolt. If the boat is keel stepped, undo the mast boot at the deck ring and remove any mast chocks(wedges), cross bolts or anything else that might be holding the mast down, i.e. deck tie downs or Spartite. If the wedges or chocks are so tight that they cannot be removed, either from below or above decks, then make sure to stand by with a drift and hammer for when the mast begins to lift to loosen them.

TIP: make sure all the rigging is very loose and try to shake the rig around by using one of the shrouds, this can help loosen tight chocks.

If your mast uses a Spartite you should score it along its seams at the deck ring and along the mast. As the tip states above, wiggle the mast around by the loose rigging and see if you can notice it moving ever-so-slightly. This portion of the preparation process can be a bit of a gamble and a lot of the times you just won’t know what it’s going to do until youstart lifting. Be sure to think it through and take every precaution necessary to make the lifting go as smoothly as possible (this keeps the crane operator happy ;-0).

Once you have completed all of these steps; the sails are off, the boom is off, the rigging is marked and loosened, the electrical has been disconnected, the mast step and collar (if present) have been prepped and you have double/triple checked everything, you should be ready to connect the lifting gear or the Tabernacle rig.

A Tabernacle Mast Step

For using the tabernacle feature of your boat’s mast (if equipped) please see your users manual or consult an expert for specific instructions on how to lower the mast.

Unstepping the mast with a crane: When rigging up the lifting gear via a crane, gin pole, gantry, gaff, or fork lift, it is important to step away form the mast for a view of it in its entirety and guesstimate the balancing point of your specific mast. This is usually somwhere around the halfway point of the mast. Always err towards it being bottom heavy. This will depend on many factors like; are there winches on the mast, or how far below deck does (or doesn’t) the mast go. Ultimately, and especially if you are unsure, you should consult a professional. It is of utmost importance that you establish a lifting point that is above the balancing point, so that  the mast will remain slightly bottom heavy and cannot upend. This is VERY IMPORTANT! Sometimes (on masts with multiple spreaders) this will require a trip aloft to reach a lifting point that is high enough. Therefore you may need to leave halyard and winch available to go aloft, or have a professional ride the ‘sky-hook’ (pictured left and right), so that you can attach the lifting gear above the spreaders.

The lifting gear is typically comprised of an appropriately rated lifting loop. We use a 4′ endless lifting loop . This is generally long enough for most mast diameters, for larger masts a 6′ loop may be a good idea. We rig the loop with a ‘single basket hitch‘, making sure not to trap any halyards. Then we have a heavy duty tag line into which we tie a large bowline. The bowline is then slipped over the basket hitch before it is attached to the crane’s hook. Once the lifting gear is in place, at the appropriate lifting point, we tie the tag line down tight and secure it underneath something strong (i.e. winches, strong horn cleats, the boom gooseneck) at/near the deck. We do this using two to three half hitches and a clove hitch back to itself to keep it from spilling.

I re-posted this picture to show the sling, hook and tag line configuration that we use.

Now,  tension the lifting device’s cable. Keep your hand on the tag line, once your feel it become tight (not before!), you can begin to go around the boat and un-pin the various stays. In reagards to the order of what is unpinned first and last will be dictated by the wind or the list of the boat. You should ALWAYS have someone at the deck to bear hug the mast for dear life as an extra precaution. This persons job, although boring is crucial and it is important that they just standby and hang on to the mast, regardless of how helpless they feel. They will want to help otherwise, but don’t let them move, reassure them “you are helping by just holding the mast”.

Okay, with one person down below (deck stepped masts) watching the butt of the mast, one person on deck holding the mast, and one person (maybe two) holding the furler (s) (if present) off of the side of the boat and directing the crane.

If the mast has not been un-stepped in 15+ years it might not come out like a dream and you may need to get creative. Take your time, go slowly and make sure everyone keeps checking around to make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything and nothing is keeping the mast from coming up.

Once the mast has cleared the deck slightly and furler (s) can be taken to the mast, begin lashing all of the rigging to the mast. This should be the last step before the mast can be removed from the boat entirely and set down in the desired location.

Thanks for the read and good luck! Don’t forget to ask us if you need anything or have any questions.

A stay that gets its name from a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of southern England, the Solent. This traditionally windy place with strong currents can cause rough sea conditions and can make for some interesting sailing, to say the least. This body of water is also famous for hosting one of sailing’s largest events known as Cowes Week. These sometimes unrelenting sailing conditions have brought forth the conception of an entire stay, aptly called the Solent Stay.

As most boats these days are equipped with headsail furlers, rigging a Solent stay is a modification that many blue water cruisers are considering, more and more. The Solent stay is an inner fore-stay that provides an alternative to the Sta-sail stay. Its benefits, similar to that of the Sta-sail Stay, are to provide an inner stay that can fly a smaller/ heavier headsail without having to unfurl, douse and change out the boats everyday headsail.

The Solent stay is unique to the Sta-sail in that the stay is rigged close enough to the fore stay at the mast, so as to not require the use of any additional back-stays. It can also eliminate the need for additional sheet leads, depending on the boats current sheet lead configuration and the new Solent Sail size and cut.

Since it is a good idea to move the center of effort inboard as we are trying to reduce sail and ensure control of the boat, it may be advisable to to move the deck attachment in-board as much as possible. The on-deck attachment can be moved as far inboard as a conventional Sta-sail stay. This gives the fore triangle a bit of an undesirable look, as most modern day sailors like to see the fore stays parallel each other. If you can get over the appearance (easily done especially if it is removable) this set-up probably makes the most sense.

Some Solent stays are rigged to be removable and stowed aft (more on stowing removable stays here). Personally, I find this to be a totally acceptable practice. However, as the boat length increases so does the sail size and the associated hardware. Therefore, rigging the Solent stay and sail can become a bit more difficult. With larger boats it might be recommended to install a permanent Solent stay with a furler. When rigging the Solent stay with a furler, a good concept might be to have a smaller sail (maybe 110%) built that will carry you through most sailing conditions, medium to heavy (i.e. 15-30 knots wind speed), with at least one, maybe two reef points. For a better reefing shape, a furler (like the Harken MK series furlers) with a free swiveling tack should be your first choice. This sail should be cut to achieve all points of sail from the hard beat to the beam reach. The OEM furler should now get a full cut-over-sized Genoa (maybe 150% or larger) that can be used as a light air drifter or full cut Genoa. Yes, this sail will need to be furled completely during tacks, but shouldn’t be a problem in light airs. The OEM foresail should be cut for working upwind to a very close reach, to downwind, just below the beam reach for light to moderate conditions (i.e.5-12 knots wind speed). For more downwind sailing options, read our blogs here and here.

Lastly, there is one other consideration:  the tension of putting two fore-stays opposite of the one back-stay ends up sharing the loads. This can lead to the Solent stay sagging to leeward, moving the draft aft and causing issues with being able to point the boat upwind. This is not preferred in most heavy weather conditions, especially when having to work upwind. The solution lies in the how the rig tune is set up. The OEM furler or fore-stay will need to be slackened a good bit. This set up will accommodate the aforementioned light air Genoa/ Drifter sail. The new inner Solent stay will need to be tightened fairly tight; this will accommodate the new moderate to heavy-air sail which is fitted to the Solent Stay. In the case of the Solent Stay being removable, make sure your Highfield lever is set to a tighter tension than the Head-stay. This should cause the Head-stay to become slack when the Solent stay is in use. To combat this leeward sag of the Solent Stay issue even further, it is also a good idea to make sure the back-stay is at its maximum recommended working tension (usually approx. 30% of breaking strength).

As always, you should seek the advice of your local rigger to ensure this Solent stay system is set up completely and properly. Have question or a comment, please leave us a few words in our comments box below.

Thanks for the read!

~T.R.C.

Ever wonder, “what if we lose steerage”? Well this little video, brought to you by our friends at Yachting Monthly, covers a few concepts to help allow you to get your boat back under control.

They say that they took a rudderless GK29 and tried 3 different ways of steering it. Maybe its just the skeg that I’m seeing, but if you look closely as the boat bobs through the water in the beginning of the video, it appears that there is some sort of an underwater foil on the back end. So it may just be that the rudder was there but locked on centerline. Based on experience, I can tell you that this foil’s mere presence has a night and day effect on how the boat pivots around its underwater center of effort. Naturally this is less of a concern with full keel boats than with fin keel boats. Having said that, I am not sure which is worse, no rudder at all, or one that is frozen in place (and probably not on center line).

In my opinion, of the three options; sail steering, drouge on a bridle, or make-shift rudder, the make-shift rudder (although that thing looked a bear to man) would be my first choice, maybe along with a little sail steering as well. The drogue idea just seems like a lot of drag. Thus making it hard to make any headway, I mean it is a sailboat after all ;-0)

 For more information see the Summer 2010 issue of Yachting Monthly.

And so the sailing season kicks off!

Come on down to the 2014 Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show and say hi. It is supposed to be good weather all weekend with a chance of rain in the evenings.

Stop by and grab one of our brand new totes for collecting goodies as you walk around and enjoy the sights.

The show will be starting today from 10 a.m. till Sunday at 5 p.m.. Check out US Yacht Shows website for more details and ticket information.

SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

This was form last week and it was a gorgeous spring day!

We conducted an aloft inspection and re-tape.

I have no idea what the red blurry thing is.

A J 105 with a Leisure Furl!? Yes……yes it is.

Black dog Teddy on the dock. I wish he could convince the other one that docks just aren’t that scary.

Thanks for taking a look at the view!

~T.R.C.

Another one of our FREE safety inspections takes us aloft in Arnold, MD

Bosun’s Selfie!

I love this shot, it says Chesapeake summer is not far away.

This was a Beneteau Yachts about 8 or 9 years old. No real issues up here, just the running rigging needs a redo which is very typical for line of this vintage.

Lastly, the panorama shot….always my favorite. Click on the image for a larger view!

~T.R.C.

The IMOCA Open 60 Hugo Boss team is growing and has added an American by the name of Ryan Breymaier. This guy has many accolades in sailing, one of them being the ‘Golden Route’ record: New York to San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. Recently he took the New York to Barcelona ‘Ocean Masters‘ race, and his upcoming plans are to participate in the next Vendee Globe – the biggest solo ’round the world race. Despite his success, he remains relatively unknown in the US sporting world, but not for long…….GO RYAN!

That great video is courtesy of Show Love via Vimeo.

Remember: You Can Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Aloft on the South River at Liberty Marina. I am conducting an aloft inspection for insurance.   The boat is a quite large Tayana 55 It turns out that the lower shroud tang has cracked! Bummer. An electric winch and a beautiful day once again from 75′ in the air.

This Guy Loves Electric Winches for Going Aloft

Thanks for taking a look at the view. ~T.R.C.

….is back!

Click the Image for Boat Show Deals!!!

Come See Us at Tent O13, Next to the Marriot Waterfront