I learned an important lesson the other day. When you have an inexperienced crew helping you rig or unrig, make sure you make it clear to them NOT TO UNDO ANY SHACKLES WITHOUT CHECKING WITH YOU FIRST. Also, it would help to have eyes in the back of your head!

Imagine the scene: you've just taken down the jib on your Hobie 16 and your crew has very helpfully unshackled the jib halhard from the top of the jib and handed it to you. Then, while you're busy securing the jib halyard to the base of the mast, your crew, trying to continue to be helpful, removes the shackle that connects the forestay from the forestay adjuster. You look around to see them helpfully handing you the forestay. NOOOO!

By sheer luck, the falling mast didn't hit anything and no serious damage was done...

Just thought some on this forum might enjoy this little story.

An echo from my past. Same thing happened to me 25 years ago when I took a friend out on my P16. We were both in college but not that experienced. The mast fell and hit the drivers side car door window. Fortunately it missed everyone. You never forget these kind of things.

you dont have to point out they are inexperienced. it doesn't matter if they are or aren't. it is ALWAYS the crews fault (even if it isn't)

UFgator

An echo from my past. Same thing happened to me 25 years ago when I took a friend out on my P16.

Well, it makes me feel a little better to know we're not the only ones...

:)

andrewscott

you dont have to point out they are inexperienced. it doesn't matter if they are or aren't. it is ALWAYS the crews fault (even if it isn't)

I suppose I should also admit that it's not just the crew on this boat that's inexperienced!

But I thought it was always the guy's fault. Hmmm, conflicting principles apply here...

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Well, it makes me feel a little better to know we're not the only ones...

A little story to perhaps help you understand "experience" doesn't always matter (and its ALWAYS the crews fault)

I sailed for 5 years at camp as a kid, and a little more in Europe while in the navy..

i had been sailing a Hobie 16 for about 6 years (only a 1/2 dozen times a year), and then my "new to me" Hobie18 for about a year and 1/2 when i took my new gf out for a sail. I considered myself "experienced" but in hind sight.. i didn't even know what a leach or luff was... i was not experienced despite 25 years of some sailing...

We had fun in good air (est 12-15)and during tear down.. i asked her to get under the mast to help "catch it". i told her,.i have never dropped a mast.. but if anything happened GET THE F out of the way.

I had a system to pull the quick pin out of the forestay with a line while i was holding the mast.. so i popped the pin out and started to lower the mast... i had turned the boat dead down wind so the wind would help hold the mast up and make lowering it easier..

I lowered it about 5% before i had a degree wind shift that pushed the mast sideways.. breaking the step hinge..

As the mast came crashing down at my 5'1.. 100lb girlfriend... she froze like a deer in headlights. I have never yelled so loud... GET THE F OUT OF THE WAY... she was still frozen and maybe moved 6". the mast slammed into the sand at her feet.

needless to say.. she wasn't interested in sailing again. I learned to NEVER EVER EVER have people, dogs, etc under a mast during step or unstep. They should wait until the mast is horizontal to get in there to help with it..


I was rather upset with her.. for causing me to drop my mast... as i said... its always the crews fault (she had nothing to do with it and would have been killed if it hit her)...

I then bought a much bigger, faster, more complex cat with control lines all over the place.. she hated it... then i got a spinnaker... that made things about 400000% worse...

Spinnaker became a 4 letter word in our relationship and after 1 more attempt to sail together... she broke up with me (same day)... I was able to salvage the relationship for a few more months.. but i couldn't even talk about sailing... i decided she wasn't the girl for me...





edited by: andrewscott, Sep 16, 2009 - 11:49 AM

I'm going to get some popcorn.

If you ever use a winch or trailer attached method for raising your mast, make sure the boat is tightly secured to the trailer. The one time I have been involved with dropping a mast I was one of the crew (probably 14 or 15 years old, so it must have been my fault) and when raising a SC20 mast using a winch (with boat tiedowns loosened) the boat slid forward allowing the mast to fall back down. In addition to bending the diamond wire support it also picked the back of the hulls up shifted to the side slightly and dropped them back down off the trailer, causing hull damage as well. After that we always made sure the boat was securely attached to the trailer before raising the mast with the winch, and raise it by hand when we have 2 or 3 guys available.

I also never let anyone near the back of the boat when lowering the mast, at least not until I have lowered it to my waist level while on the boat when lowering by hand (when using a H16 or H18).

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

UFgator

I'm going to get some popcorn.

make sure you wash the butter off before you step your mast...

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I also never let anyone near the back of the boat when lowering the mast, at least not until I have lowered it to my waist level while on the boat when lowering by hand (when using a H16 or H18).

As many know, I now have my cat on sterns towards the car (so the mast is on an angle for self stepping). I refused to do that over my car with my h18 (esp after breaking the mast step hinge).

I can't tell you the anxiety and faith needed to do it on my current boat (with a 30' stick)... but .. I have never seen anyone drop one on their car... (not saying it hasn't or wont). But you can fix a car.. not a head.

But i have now had 2 people drop their mast ON MY BOAT... grrrrrrr

I had the mast pop off the ball at the base while lowering it a few days ago on my 5.2 (i.e. no hinge) Turns out I have the original ball, at least that's my best guess, as its eroded, not merely worn, and slides right in and out of the base of the mast w/ the stopper bolt in place. I've stepped and lowered the mast several times without issue, but this time it popped off just after I'd told my friend to go back and catch it. I yelled to GET OUT THE WAY and I heard a big bang and then a grunt...I thought he was dead. I turned around and apparently the mast had bounced about 8 feet off of the ground and he caught it on its way back down.

Anyway, I guess we should just be thankful that usually when S happens, it's only as bad as it is..

--
Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
--

When you sail solo... and you screw up... you can still blame the crew!

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I'm going to get some popcorn.

Gator/Martin, all too funny.

I was thinking the exact same thing. You know this thread is going to be overwhelmed with great stories. I don't think it is possible to be a cat sailor without doing something dumb at some point. I had no teacher, so I've had more than my share of hard knocks!!

I just read all these posts I'm amazed at all the things that CAN go wrong. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Keep 'em coming boys.