Getting under the bridge

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ifmdalvey

ifmdalvey

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Feb 2, 2010
373
Island Packet 37 Hull #2 Harpswell Me
I have seen some lateral thinking in my time but this guy takes top prize.
How do you get an 85 foot mast under a 65 foot bridge? Letting the water out is not an option!
http://www.wimp.com/mastbridge/
I have worked out the control but not how he got into the original position.
Any one else tried this and what is the maths involved?
 
Freedom77

Freedom77

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Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Simply amazing!! I see the U.S. ensign on the spreader but I couldn't make out national flag on the stern. British? It also appeared he was single handing. Pure Genius. Where did this happen. Seamanship is alive and well. Fair winds and full sails....
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
45 degrees of heel will put the top of the mast 60 feet above the water. Simple trig. The bags are filled with water so the system is fail safe.
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Failsafe unless a bag breaks under the bridge. Same thing done weekly at the Okeechobee railroad bridge. Guy comes to your boat and puts plastic barrels on the side deck. He knows how much water to pump into those barrels so that your mast will clear the 49' bridge.
 
seadaddler

seadaddler

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Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Not Me

I was going to go through the Okeechobee until he said it would be very tight with my 58' mast and the 49'bridge and I would have to worry the uprights are narrower any way and other 55' bridges along the river over to FT Myersi decided to go around the keys.
They should change to a draw bridge and get more boats and they would spend $$$ along the way.
Nick
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
Seen that before

I've seen that one before. Seems like that boat is located somewhere in the east coast, in the Carolinas maybe. Have done the Okeechobee a couple years ago. He uses water barrels on the deck as described. He has a plumb bob he pulls up on the spinnaker halyard, when the plumb bob touches the water, your good to go. Kinda spooky when it's your boat for the first time, but quick and easy.
 
RichBone

RichBone

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Sep 25, 2008
992
Oday 25 Gibraltar
I've seen this video before on this forum and I wondered how he got the water bags outboard enough to heel the boat.

Rich
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Never considered the Okeechobee route Nick. Who would want to miss sailing the Hawk Channel to Marathon? It was one of the best sails on the whole route. And the lake is so short, too much canal.
 
seadaddler

seadaddler

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Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Ed

It was great sailing down along the east coast and than down around the keys for sure.
Nick
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
OK, cool and all but how did he control the amount of heel? Seems like there was no dumping or pumping of the load to either increase or decrease the heel. Certianly if you just put the weight in the center of the boat you would get no heel. Crew position?
 
Bill1565

Bill1565

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Jan 22, 2008
1,483
Hunter 37 C sloop Punta Gorda FL
Didn't see how he got them out of the boat at first, but if you watch it again, he is using the main sheet to ease the boom out for more heel, trim in for less
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,593
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
For the mathematically impaired.

a = the bridge clearance
c = the height of your mast above the water
alpha = the amount of heal you need

sine (alpha) = a/c

I've seen this one before also. I believe he fills the water balls at the gunwale and as he hauls them up using the halyards the boat heals until he reaches the desired angle (alpha). The last time I saw this video I think there was a link so you could purchase these water ball things.
 

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Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

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Mar 3, 2003
710
Hunter 356 Grand Rivers
Anyone know where he got the water bags? I have heard about this before and I think he turns either to port of starboard to get the momemtum of the bags to start moving away from the mast and start the heel.

I have put buckets on the end of my boom to get a couple of feet for bridge on the Cumberland River. Got me about 2 feet of clearance.
 

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dhays

dhays

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Aug 2, 2010
93
Catalina C400 Gig Harbor, WA
Bill Roosa said:
OK, cool and all but how did he control the amount of heel? Seems like there was no dumping or pumping of the load to either increase or decrease the heel. Certianly if you just put the weight in the center of the boat you would get no heel. Crew position?
Click to expand
I've never done this but... If the bags are heavy enough (trial and error I would assume) all you have to do is give them a push outboard with a boat hook or whisker pole. As the bags move outboard, the boat will heel, moving the bags further outboard, causing the boat to heel further. The boat will continue to heel until the bags hit the water. To reduce the amount of heel, you just tie a line to the bags so that you can bring the bags back inboard. By knowing the height of your rig, the length of the halyard, and the length of line used to control the heel, it is easy to calculate the amount of clearance you create.

However, it would only take one piece of equipment to fail at the wrong time and it would really ruin your day. I don't think I would attempt it.
 
kpgraci

kpgraci

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Jun 12, 2010
936
Oday 22 Orleans Marina, NOLA
So when the bags hit the water their downward movement will stop because they are filled with water, but then there is drag, which will presumably pull the boat to starboard, so all the forces must be managed between speed, rudder angle and management or the weights, not to mention wind and current.

I would think a lot of practice runs are in order, with attention paid to what happens when things go wrong, oh, and make sure your insurance is paid up (would insurance even cover a 'risky' maneuver like that?)
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
This would be handy for ungrounding yourself also, don't you think?
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
I'm thnking that the line attach to the bottom which he uses to drag the balls back inboard is the heel control. By limiting the distance you let the balls go outboard you control the heal. By letting it out you heel more and by pulling it in you heel less.
 
Chuckbear

Chuckbear

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Jan 3, 2009
821
Marine Trader 34 Where Ever I am
kpgraci said:
So when the bags hit the water their downward movement will stop because they are filled with water, but then there is drag, which will presumably pull the boat to starboard, so all the forces must be managed between speed, rudder angle and management or the weights, not to mention wind and current.

I would think a lot of practice runs are in order, with attention paid to what happens when things go wrong, oh, and make sure your insurance is paid up (would insurance even cover a 'risky' maneuver like that?)
Click to expand
The lower bag touching the water is the indicator that he has reach the correct amount of heel to clear the bridge. He will allow the bags to swing out far enough to let the lower touch as he nears the bridge. I have seen this system a few times and it is pretty cool. Chuck
 
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