Recovering a halyard that has pulled onto mast

[eruptn 95]

As a consequence of our shake down sail and over nighter we have ended up with the main halyard pulled inside the mast. Forgot the knot when putting mast up and while at anchor over night the rocking pumped the halyard !

 

The boat is a Farr 940 (Noelex 30), so relatively light tapered mast. There is a 6 mm topping lift that goes to the top. I estimate the halyard is 3-4 m inside the mast.

 

I feel the recovery (via a trip up the mast) is outside of my comfort zone, so are looking for advise and help on this one;

1) How would you do this (trip up mast, pushing it back in), parking next to a cherry picker or travel hoist etc (how do riggers do this ?)

2)  Who does this type of work in Auckland area (Boat is at Pine Harbour)

 

Open to suggestions and advise .... 

 

Thanks

[Deep Purple 511]

Ya buggered, sorry

 

Find some light person and haul them up on the topping lift. 6mm will be strong enough. 

 

Depending how far the halyard is down the mast you will probably have to pull it out and drop a weighted string line as the unloaded halyard will get hung up on the other halyard and bolt/rivet ends. In any case you will have to try loading all the other halyards to make sure it does down straight.

 

Been 20 years since I used the mast gantry at Pine Harbour but at low tide you might be able to lean the mast over to it if you raise the plate but you'll definitely needs a string line. 

 

Can you lower the mast so it slops and use a hose of water to coax the halyard down?

[Deep Purple 511]

Or try to attached grab the remaining main halyard at the jib or spinnaker exit and either use the jin/spinnaker halyard or a string line to get it back down

[eruptn 95]

Thanks Sundreamer. That has given me an idea or two to work with, one maybe able to get to the spreaders in some comfort (safety) and use spinnaker pole topper exit box .... 

[Marshy 30]

If you have an easy way to drop the rig - (Think i saw elsewhere you do?) - you can get a long piece of 3 or 4mm rigging wire, and push it from the sheave down the rig when its horizontal - its stiff enough to track along inside the rig.

 

Tape a loop of string to it so you have something to fish out at the halyard slot...

[Jon 360]

Pull the halyard out the bottom

Be careful it doesn't tangle on the way down

Motor over to mast gantry at PH then winch your assistant up on the gantry wire at the bottom end of the tide ( you have a lifting keel ?)

Then either a thin line or even fishing line with a weight on the end that you can push over the sheave then lower it until you can fish it out of the slot ( piece of rigging wire or similar with hook bent into end ) riggers use a dozen or more nuts threaded onto the line with stopper knot either side

Tape thin line to halyard end and pull back up and over the top, make sure all other halyards are tight so you don't get any twists and tape line so it lines up nicely with the halyard and then it won't catch

 

I've taken a few masts out here on up to 38 footers

[Deep Purple 511]

I pulled Wai Aniwa's mast out there and the crane at low tide will get you pretty close to the top

 

Yeah nuts are best on the string line because they flex over the sheaves and pull from the centre

[eruptn 95]

Quick up date ... we used the topping lift to hoist the main, worked ok for the couple of months we had the boat on the Gulf.

 

Now the mast is down, I used the topping lift to pull two tails through; one to pull the topping lift back and the second to restore the main halyard. Just need to put mast back up now.