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Mast Climbing Gear

J

jbarthelmass

New member
From all of you veterans, what tips do you have regarding mast climbing equipment and techniques for use during the race?
I hope to never need it, But I remember that Jim Tallet climbed his mast three times during the 02 race.
 
I have the ATN TopClimber which I have used many times in the slip. Like you, I hope I never need to use it offshore.

The usual warning on this stuff: Always tie knots - don't rely on a halyard shackle.

My recollection is that Jim went up the rig eight times!
 
My best recollection is that Jim went up once 3 times in one day. I am not sure anyone knows how many times in total, but for sure in '02 was more than 8 - perhaps 12 or 14???
I know he went up fewer times in '04 because I lost 5 bucks on a bet with him over it. He did go UNDER the boat that year, though...

Jim/Haulback
 
I have Petzl rope ascenders which are teamed up with a climbing seat harness and a pair of foot loops which I made myself from nylon webbing. The system worked well on the Santana, and I went up to the masthead 4-5 times in the slip with this getup. I never used it out on the water, though.

I won't be using it on the SC27....fuhgeddit. 250 pounds of me at the masthead on a SC27? NOT.
 
I use a pair of Jumar ascenders in a similar setup to AlanH's and go up the mast regularly in the slip but also one trip each crossing (04 and 06). When going up underway I also wear padding and a helmet and set the halyard tight to minimize being thrown around. I also use a couple of tethers to be clipped onto something else. It is amazing how much an eighty foot lever arm magnifies the motion! Al
 
I use a similiar rig to Dog Bark, a pair of Jumars for climbing up the rig, with stirrups for the feet. Make the halyard your up-climbing on bar-tight, otherwise you fly around too much. It also really helps to have short lines to loop around the spar when you get to where you're going to work, as the lines can give you something to brace against. And make sure the climbing harness is comfortable, as you can't readily get out of the harness when you're up in the air.

Jumars are awful to down-climb on. For getting down, it's much nicer to use gravity and come down on a gri-gri:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigri_(climbing)
One cool part of the gri-gri is it can act as a safety while up-climbing by attaching the gri-gri to your climbing harness on a caribiner and running a second halyard through it. Works a treat.

Another cool way to climb the rig is to have nylon webbing foot loops sewn to the mainsail luff; the loops act as a ladder, which can be convenient if you want to go up the rig and the mainsail is hoisted at the time (as often is the case offshore). You still should have harness and be clipped in to a halyard to arrest your fall should you become separated from mainsail loops.

- rob
 
Not terribly 'racy' but I have always been a big fan of permanently mounted mast steps for getting up and down the rig. Once they are on you can wander up and down to your heart's content whether at the dock, or offshore. No worries about swinging out like a pendulum and crashing into the rig on your way back in. I have always felt very safe using them, not a hair-raising experience in the least.

One added advantage is that they are always ready to use - should something come adrift up there, you can be on the job in a matter of moments - no digging stuff out of lockers or rigging-up time involved.

Also provides additional unrated sail area downwind.

Jim/Haulback
 
mastSteps

I have mast steps and the ATN mast climber. I have only gone to spreaders with ATN still getting use to it, but easy. Question is about mast steps. What recommendations about staying attached to mast. Should one use harness around the mast, just "free" climb like a ladder, use in combination with bosuns chair. Any advise from mast step users would be helpful. Thanks.
 
I free climb for inspections, small jobs and exercise. If I had something that was going to take a while and conditions were fresh, I would probably lash myself in place until I was finished, unlash and climb down.

The more often you run up and down the rig, the better you get at it, the more comfortable and confident you become doing so. You will find that less stuff breaks, fouls or goes wrong up there - because you are always inspecting it.

Jim/Haulback
 
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