Ah youth!

[Kermit]

I'm pretty sure most of you old salts have seen this a million times, but this was new experience for me. It was pretty cool to see her being hoisted up the mast with whitecaps coming into the cove.

The girl at the masthead is 21, just about to finish the University of South Carolina with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in French. She has sailed all her life and races in Charleston. The guy below has a Political Science degree from U.S.C, works part-time at West Marine in Columbia and is a boat surveyor.

It was pretty cool seeing them work on my boat. I guess youth has it advantages.

Kermit

 

[Ed Schenck]

I get weak knees just looking at your picture. At my marina there are yard crew who flip a coin for the right to climb a mast. "You kiddin' me"!

 

[Sailm8]

With age comes wisdom. With youth, a Darwin award.

 

[Rich Stidger]

I ascend my 63' mast at least twice per year to install and remove my masthead wind transducer so it doesn't spin and be subject to the winter each year. I check all of my shrouds and fittings on the way up or down too. I try not to do it in more than 10-12 kt of wind.

No big deal for me, but I know that some sailors much prefer to keep their feet on the deck.

Just so you know that I am not totally nuts, be advised that I do draw the line at bungy-jumping....

 

[Paladin27]

Fixing our wind vane. All the old people around us were holding their breathe the entire time, apparently they don't see this too often in our marina.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paladin27/4896634152/

 

[Alan]

On a 23 footer I would opt to lower the mast for this sort of thing. But at least you've answered a question that has appeared here more than once, 'Can a 23' support a body at the masthead without going turtle?'

 

[Kermit]

Hey Paladin! Thanks for posting the picture. I love looking at your photographs on your flickr site. Anyone who wants to see good sailing photography might want to check them out. (I found the site by clicking on the picture Paladin posted.) You obviously have a great time with friends and family while sailing.

Kermit

 

[Paladin27]

@Alan, we were actually messing with Mark and rocking the boat back and forth when he got up there. We got the top of the mast moving back and forth a good 8-10'. I woulda crapped myself, but he was still working on the vane while it was swaying! He's an ex-marine, nothing phases him. It took all of 10 minutes up and down including the repair. If we had stepped the mast, that would have been an all afternoon project. No thanks.

Thanks Kermit, photography is another hobby of mine! Here's the entire set if you didn't find it already.

Sailing Flickr Set

 

[Dan Johnson]

Years ago...

I went up the mast of a friend's Morgan 33 in Burnham Harbor, Chicago, to tighten the VHF antenna and mount (I was the lightest guy there). A power boat went by throwing a wake and it was all I could do to hang on and wrap my legs around the mast.

When I got home several days later I had a heap of 'splainin' to do about the black and blue marks that had formed on the inside of my thighs...:naughty:

 

[isaksp00]

Don't think I'd climb my H23 mast - I'd be afraid it was too weak.

 

[entont]

Rick,
I too tend to "ascend to the heavens" once or twice a yr. Fortunately, I am not a big guy and its an easier lift. Unfortunately, I am also the first one asked for everyone elses boat.