Need creative suggestions!

[Dan_Y]

So let me get the "I screwed up" admission out of the way first by not taking care of a little problem that might now cost me $600 or more...
On our second sail of our new to us '08 h36 I saw what looked like about 2 feet of "leech line" flying from the mast groove at the head of the sail. My thought was "that's either extra leach line somehow, or a lead tied on the main halyard shackle to tie it off when dropping the sail. But it could bind the roller furling main so I better drop the sail and remove it asap". Then this 7days of 20-30 with gusts to 40 is blasting our area. When checking dock lines today as the blow continues I see the line is securely wrapped around an arm of the anemometer ... no BS. Anemometers run around $450-500 (Garmin does... not sure about this raymarine).
If I drop the sail I worry it will break. Looks like my only options are to get a rigger to go up the mast or go to a marina that has a manlift. Any other "better" suggestions? Sorry about the photo quality... it's from my iPhone.

 

[Ward H]

Man lift sounds cheaper than a new anemeter!

 

[higgs]

Find a couple friends to haul you up the mast to clear that up.

 

[capta]

I just got a Ray masthead unit for around $300 online. But you are still going to have to go aloft to install it, so why not just do it now and save yourself $300?

 

[Calif. Ted]

I think someone will need to go up the stick, is it a leech line or there are sometimes unused "mouse lines" in masts and booms. By mouse line I mean a small line to use as a messenger line to string a wire or line. Whatever it is may be wrapped inside the mast also, I'm thinking 2 ft. at the top of the mast not the right place and long for a loose leech line.

 

[MitchM]

find a racer friend with a bosun chair and have him/her go up the mast on 2 halyards 1 a main hoist the other a safety. one guy can winch a light person up alone.. once up there have them cut away the errant line, then before they come down check whether cutting off the line retired your anemometer function..

might be simpler to drop the mast and fix it all at once..

 

[Dan_Y]

Bought a chair and winched the Admiral up the mast using a new topping lift line and the jibe halyard for a safety line. Pesky line was attached to the halyard shackle to tie the halyard to boom or something close by when main sail is down. The admiral cut the line off the shackle and untangled it from the anemometer. She said it was so well tangled that the anemometer would have been broken had we dropped the main. Thanks for the advice guys.