I recently parted my jib halyard 
at top of the mast, right where it goes over the sheave into the mast. The remaining halyard dropped down inside the mast. When I tried to retrieve it, it bunched or formed a hockle that kept me from pulling it out and I didn't want to pull on it hard fearing that it might just set the hockle firmly and require me to drop the mast to retrieve it.
Putting on my thinking cap, I cut a long section of black inground irrigation hose, inserted the halyard into the hose and fed it into the mast. I then pushed up on the hose and "jiggled it" and retrieved a few inches to a few feet of halyard each time, repeating this until I had the halyard completely out. Just thought some of you who find yourself in the same situation may want to try an alternative to dropping the mast.
at top of the mast, right where it goes over the sheave into the mast. The remaining halyard dropped down inside the mast. When I tried to retrieve it, it bunched or formed a hockle that kept me from pulling it out and I didn't want to pull on it hard fearing that it might just set the hockle firmly and require me to drop the mast to retrieve it.Putting on my thinking cap, I cut a long section of black inground irrigation hose, inserted the halyard into the hose and fed it into the mast. I then pushed up on the hose and "jiggled it" and retrieved a few inches to a few feet of halyard each time, repeating this until I had the halyard completely out. Just thought some of you who find yourself in the same situation may want to try an alternative to dropping the mast.
