Mast Height?

[Reid - the West Wing]

Does anyone know the height of a 240 mast when fully raised and minimal rake?I am planning a 5 day trip and one route we are considering is underneath the Worlds longest single span wooden bridge. (Sioux Narrows, Ontario Canada). According to my chart it has 34 feet from the bridge to the water.Also does the chart accomodate for years with high water? This year our water is probably one to two feet higher than usual. Many thanks, in advance.P.S. When I received my 240 the wrong mast was with the boat - now I have a 260 mast that I would like to get rid of, it's halyards are not run through the mast and I wonder if this has rendered the mast useless. I would happily sell for the shipping costs if it is useful to someone.

 

[Craig Nelson]

Bridge Clearance

Reid,Funny you should ask such a question. I am planning on leaving tomorrow evening for a week long "guys trip" to Sioux Narrows. I have decided to pull my h23.5 up and see what it is like in Whitefish Bay. My friend has a cabin on one of the islands where we will be staying most of the time. We also were wondering about the bridge height. The spec on my boat is 33'-6" for mast height. From the measurements I have made, this is the height from the waterline. You boat's spec says 32'-6" acording to the numbers on this groups web pages. I also have a VHF antenna above the top of the mast. Unless I put in west of the bridge, I think that I will motor from the government dock until I get under the bridge and out to deeper waters. Let me know if you come up with any alternate solutions. We have been going up for years, but I just bought the boat this spring and it is the first sail in Canada. It is going to be a long haul pulling the trailer all the way from Iowa!Let me know if you will be around any of the time we are there and maybe we can get together for a while.CraigS/V Cool Change

 

[Don McCoy]

Healing Over

Sometimes when the clearance is only slightly less than mast height, additional room can be gained by shifting weight and causing the boat to heel over enough to clear. I have heard that some of the taller boats that wish to shortcut across Florida, between Port St. Lucie and Ft Meyers, make arrangements with a person that meets them at the fixed railroad bridge. He attaches plastic barrels on one side and pumps them full of water until the vessel leans enough to clear. He drains them on the other side and they are on their way. This seems logical enough to me to work but not sure its true. (One of those "just in case" ideas that I have filed away.)Good Luck on Your Adventure,DonSV Maverick 25.5 HunterOak Hill, FL