Ever remove a headstay?

I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts?

I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard to the bow. Fin Beven Cal-40 #24 Radiant San Pedro, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: paulrc40 To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:10 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? Yahoo! Groups Links

When we remove our headstay, for hauling the boat, I use multiple halyards forward to secure the mast. In this cast you'll be going up the mast, to take the headstay down... more support is better while you are up there! So like Fin says, (both) Spinnaker halyards, (both) Jib halyards, baby stay if you have one, topping lift, etc. maybe not necessary.. but bones heal slow... (you can go up on the main halyard), make sure to have a safety in case something breaks on your boson chair or halyard clasp. I'm a (f)rigging idiot, so I'd have my rigger do this work, I've discovered one that likes to be paid on installment (in Portland) so he always has money, he's about $50 per hour. He has all the right tools and does a great job. dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Fin Beven Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:15 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard to the bow. Fin Beven Cal-40 #24 Radiant San Pedro, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: paulrc40 <mailto:pa… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:10 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? Yahoo! Groups Links (Yahoo! ID required) mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>

Hey Timm .... Know anything about masts falling down ? ? ? ----- Original Message ----- From: ti… [at] ch2m.com To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:26 AM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? When we remove our headstay, for hauling the boat, I use multiple halyards forward to secure the mast. In this cast you'll be going up the mast, to take the headstay down... more support is better while you are up there! So like Fin says, (both) Spinnaker halyards, (both) Jib halyards, baby stay if you have one, topping lift, etc. maybe not necessary.. but bones heal slow... (you can go up on the main halyard), make sure to have a safety in case something breaks on your boson chair or halyard clasp. I'm a (f)rigging idiot, so I'd have my rigger do this work, I've discovered one that likes to be paid on installment (in Portland) so he always has money, he's about $50 per hour. He has all the right tools and does a great job. dEmO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Fin Beven Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:15 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard to the bow. Fin Beven Cal-40 #24 Radiant San Pedro, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: paulrc40 To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:10 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? Yahoo! Groups Links

Fin Beven wrote: > > I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard to the bow. > This works. When we ran my other boat into a power line many years ago, the forestay burned through but the heavy wooden mast was held up by the spinnaker halyard, which runs to a ring tied on the bow pulpit with nylon small stuff. It is better not to discover things this way. The more halyards forward, the better, because you're probably going to have to send somebody aloft in a bosun's chair to undo the upper end of the forestay. Chris Campbell

OUCH!!!! FIN that Hurts!!! Yes, in 2002, a "Helper" removed all my shroud cotter pins on my deck stepped Cal 40 mast. (I was 600 miles away at the time). When he had successfully removed all the pins, the effects of gravity took over. The mast also took out part of a near by yacht. This occurred 7 days before the Pacific Cup, 10's of Thousands invested, time taken off, condos rented, plane tickets purchased, delivery set-up.... I can still recall the phone call: "Timm" "Yes" "We're not going to do the 2002 Pacific Cup" "Why?" "The mast fell off the boat" "RIGHT!!!!???" "I'm not kidding" "RIGHT!!!!" "I'm not kidding" "RIGHT!!!" "I'm not kidding" "RIGHT!!!" "I'm not kidding" "RIGHT!!!" "I'm not kidding" "RIGHT???" From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Fin Beven Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:32 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? Hey Timm .... Know anything about masts falling down ? ? ? ----- Original Message ----- From: ti… [at] ch2m.com <mailto:ti… [at] ch2m.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:26 AM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? When we remove our headstay, for hauling the boat, I use multiple halyards forward to secure the mast. In this cast you'll be going up the mast, to take the headstay down... more support is better while you are up there! So like Fin says, (both) Spinnaker halyards, (both) Jib halyards, baby stay if you have one, topping lift, etc. maybe not necessary.. but bones heal slow... (you can go up on the main halyard), make sure to have a safety in case something breaks on your boson chair or halyard clasp. I'm a (f)rigging idiot, so I'd have my rigger do this work, I've discovered one that likes to be paid on installment (in Portland) so he always has money, he's about $50 per hour. He has all the right tools and does a great job. dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Fin Beven Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:15 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard to the bow. Fin Beven Cal-40 #24 Radiant San Pedro, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: paulrc40 <mailto:pa… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:10 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? Yahoo! Groups Links (Yahoo! ID required) mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>

ti… [at] ch2m.com wrote: > > > > Yes, in 2002, a "Helper" removed all my shroud cotter pins on my deck > stepped Cal 40 mast. (I was 600 miles away at the time). > > When he had successfully removed all the pins, the effects of gravity > took over. The mast also took out part of a near by yacht. > I'm constantly surprised by new reasons for owning a Cal 20. A couple years ago I was helping a guy unstep his Cal 20 mast. He was leaning forward on the mast while I removed the clevis pin on the forestay turnbuckle. I was having trouble getting it out. Just about the time I did get it out, he decided to wander forward to contribute some wisdom to the undertaking. Without his weight against the mast, gravity performed its usual duty and the mast fell down. It fell onto the bow pulpit of a power boat moored aft of his boat, but---here is the miracle---did not damage anything!!! Cal 20 mast OK, powerboat stainless pulpit OK, dignity just slightly damaged when the dockmaster wandered over to see what the big noise was. If we'd been working on a Cal 40 we would have had a big mess. We discuss the leaner's responsibilities each time we do the masts now. Chris Campbell

--- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, Chris Campbell <clcampbell@...> wrote: > > timmothy.lessley@... wrote: > > > > > > > > Yes, in 2002, a "Helper" removed all my shroud cotter pins on my deck > > stepped Cal 40 mast. (I was 600 miles away at the time). > > > > When he had successfully removed all the pins, the effects of gravity > > took over. The mast also took out part of a near by yacht. > > > > As I thought, hidden dangers! I didn't think about being up the mast when the headstay pin is removed. Shiver me timbers! Other than the making sure the mast doesn't fall down it all seems straight forward. Thanks for the comments. > > > > > > I'm constantly surprised by new reasons for owning a Cal 20. A couple > years ago I was helping a guy unstep his Cal 20 mast. He was leaning > forward on the mast while I removed the clevis pin on the forestay > turnbuckle. I was having trouble getting it out. Just about the time I > did get it out, he decided to wander forward to contribute some wisdom > to the undertaking. Without his weight against the mast, gravity > performed its usual duty and the mast fell down. It fell onto the bow > pulpit of a power boat moored aft of his boat, but---here is the > miracle---did not damage anything!!! Cal 20 mast OK, powerboat > stainless pulpit OK, dignity just slightly damaged when the dockmaster > wandered over to see what the big noise was. > > If we'd been working on a Cal 40 we would have had a big mess. > > We discuss the leaner's responsibilities each time we do the masts now. > > Chris Campbell >

Aaargh Do I know about headstays? Funny story, On my first venture to sail to Catalina, With no outboard, Early Fall of..1998, hard on the wind, off Redondo Beach, the steel wire luff tape in my Original Genoa parted company, rusted away at the head sail fitting, and the jib came crashing down. I had it fixed. Perhaps it was for the best, in hindsight as I'd never been to the Isthmus, never been on a mooring or string tie, and didn't know what to expect when I got there. A year later, sailing back from Los Alamitos, my forestay parted company at the top swedge and came crashing down. Now if my jib's luff wire hadn't broken the year before, been fixed, and been there to hold the mast up, I would have lost my mast, in the middle of Hurricane Gulch. Funny how sometimes bad events turn out for the best. Jerry Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> wrote: ti… [at] ch2m.com wrote: Yes, in 2002, a "Helper" removed all my shroud cotter pins on my deck stepped Cal 40 mast. (I was 600 miles away at the time). When he had successfully removed all the pins, the effects of gravity took over. The mast also took out part of a near by yacht. I'm constantly surprised by new reasons for owning a Cal 20. A couple years ago I was helping a guy unstep his Cal 20 mast. He was leaning forward on the mast while I removed the clevis pin on the forestay turnbuckle. I was having trouble getting it out. Just about the time I did get it out, he decided to wander forward to contribute some wisdom to the undertaking. Without his weight against the mast, gravity performed its usual duty and the mast fell down. It fell onto the bow pulpit of a power boat moored aft of his boat, but---here is the miracle---did not damage anything!!! Cal 20 mast OK, powerboat stainless pulpit OK, dignity just slightly damaged when the dockmaster wandered over to see what the big noise was. If we'd been working on a Cal 40 we would have had a big mess. We discuss the leaner's responsibilities each time we do the masts now. Chris Campbell

Paul, Use your jib & spinnaker halyards to relieve the support of the headstay. secure them forward and tension them. We have done that at least twice on Magic while replacing the headstay and/or doing roller furling maintenance. If your lines are getting old, I suggest that you run new ones first. Have fun! Michael Duvall s/v Magic, Cal 2-27 Pompano Beach, FL paulrc40 <pa… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a roller furler. I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a headstay all by your lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me like all you have to do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by securing a line from the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins from the bow and the mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? I'm just trying to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm about to sink my boat or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? --------------------------------- Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.

Hi Cal Pals, You old timers may remember this "Tom Story", but sharing is why we are here and someone asked.... In the spring of 1990, the spousal unit, "Saint Bobbie" and I were crossing the Gulf of Tehauntepic, west cost of Mexico, following local knowledge which is one foot on the beach, in case a low in the Pacific coincides with a high in the Gulf of Mexico across the one low area results in high offshore winds. Conditions were fairly calm so we took the rhumb line across. Seems a "buddy boat" from the Sea of Cortez, a Kiwi on his Force 50, Taiwan Turkey, felt he could outrun our Cal 46. So, the race was on, we did a horizon job on him. Just before dark a Tehauntepecar hit with full fury. No sweat, rull up the jib, reef the main and use Ma Perkins to get back close to shore. Stuff happens - I had stopped the spinnaker halyard on the pulpit, then when we began rolling in the "roller fouling" it got wrapped in the jib. By then the wind was about 40 - 50 knots, so Captain Dunderhead, cranks in on the winch, snaps the headstay - %^^##@!-. Well the spinnaker halyard and wind abaft the beam kept the mast up. Finally the headstay and Hood roller falls down, so we cut it away and made a $$$ sacrafice to Davy Jones Locker. We triple reefed the main and with Ma Perkins helped slinked back toward shore, as well as you can in 50 knots. By daylight it had calmed, but big swells remained. I always carry spare standing rigging, so I got the spare headstay out, put the boatswains seat on and climbed the stairs we have on the mast, with The Bobbie tailing our extra jib halyard. I have changed standing rigging on several boats with the mast erect, always dropped a pin, cotter or something. Well this time Neptune was smiling at me. I got to the top, tied myself to the mast, pulled up the new headstay, pulled the cotter and pin, placed the new stay in, pinned it and installed the cotter, all while rolling 20 - 40 degrees. When I got back to the deck, I collapsed for about a half hour, totally exhausted. Then we hanked on an old #3 jib and headed for Costa Rica. This jib got us through Central America, the Panama Canal and back to Mobile, AL. I was a young guy then, only 52, not so sure about now. Lessons learned: -You don't need to race Taiwan Turkeys with your Cal boat, you're going to kick their butts anyway. -Pay attention to local knowledge, never take a rhumb line across the Gulf of Tehauntepic -Be gentle with your roller fouling. -Love your Cal boat. Tom and Bobbie Vandiver, Cal 46, #3 Satori, Cal 25, #737, Bravura, hanging out on Bayou Chico, FL with plans Plan A: Prepare Satori all this winter, April 2008, around the FL Keys and up to the Chesapeake for the summer. Plan B: Get away before H________ season for another clockwise cirfcuit of the Caribbean, 2008 - 2010 Plan C: Live long and prosper. Race the Cal 25 locally, enjoy "Dark & Stormys" Life is good! --- ti… [at] ch2m.com wrote: > When we remove our headstay, for hauling the boat, I > use multiple > halyards forward to secure the mast. In this cast > you'll be going up the > mast, to take the headstay down... more support is > better while you are > up there! So like Fin says, (both) Spinnaker > halyards, (both) Jib > halyards, baby stay if you have one, topping lift, > etc. maybe not > necessary.. but bones heal slow... (you can go up on > the main halyard), > make sure to have a safety in case something breaks > on your boson chair > or halyard clasp. > > I'm a (f)rigging idiot, so I'd have my rigger do > this work, I've > discovered one that likes to be paid on installment > (in Portland) so he > always has money, he's about $50 per hour. He has > all the right tools > and does a great job. > > dEmO > > ________________________________ > > From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On > Behalf Of Fin Beven > Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 12:15 PM > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? > > > > I'd suggest tying both ends of the spinnaker halyard > to the bow. > > Fin Beven > Cal-40 #24 > Radiant > San Pedro, CA > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: paulrc40 <mailto:pa… [at] yahoo.com> > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > > Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:10 AM > Subject: [Cal_Boats] Ever remove a headstay? > > I'm in the process of getting my Cal 29 ready for a > roller > furler. > I was wondering if any of you have ever removed a > headstay all > by your > lonesome or with a friend or two? It looks to me > like all you > have to > do is to secure the mast from falling down, say by > securing a > line from > the mast to the front cleat, undue the cloves pins > from the bow > and the > mast and bada-boom you've got the headstay off, no? > I'm just > trying > to get around paying a rigger to do it but if I'm > about to sink > my boat > or something I'll pay up. Any thoughts? > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > (Yahoo! ID required) > > mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > > > > > > >

Tom, Thanks for the adventure! I take it your extra weight atop the mast when your swaying back and forth 20-40 degrees in 50 knot winds won't take the boat over. I guess I can see that on a Cal 46, but should the need ever arise, should small fry like the rest of us put that much weight that high up in those conditions? I only have 2200 lbs of lead on the keel. I hope I never encounter those conditions. What's the worst it can get heading to Catalina from SD? Thanks again.