[Rhodes22-list] Raising The Mast-Hard to believe I made this mistake...

[P&M Beals]

I found Slim's set of directions to be very helpful a couple weeks'  back.
I had saved them in my Rhodes' email file from last September, and I
compared Slim's list of the fall to this set, seeing that he included for
newbies like me, " with the mast resting on the mast crutch roller in step
2" since we had once begun,  having forgotten to install the mast crutch
over the transom.

We made another mistake, and this is shared, showing our full state of
newbie stupidity, here stated for more newbies, wannabes etc.
When we went to connect the upper shrouds to their chain plates, I connected
to the chain plates on the cabin deck, not the most outer chain plates...
We proceeded to hoist the mast, but about 45 degrees up, with the mast
leaning over the boat to our left in the boat yard, I commanded us to
retreat back down, and anlyze what was wrong here... only to have a helpful
boat owner come over, and insist that he help us steer the mast safely up,
without having the mast swing out.  Eventually we figured out the error,
corrected it, and proceeded without further hitch...

I share this account so someone else may not make the same stupid mistake in
the future, and to say, is there any source for diagrams with shrouds etc.
labeled?  I seem to recall last fall there was some discussion about someone
had thought to undertake this project, but I haven't ever seen a diagram
other than the one Stan includes in his Rhodes 22 sales package...

I have now added to my personal list of directions, which happens to be a
copy of Stan's directions, Slim's above, :"Think upper shrouds to outer
chain plates"...I know someone will say how in the world could you have made
that mistake?? but I did...

Also, for newbies, when raising the mast, allow at least an hour of time,
that includes straightening out shrouds...as you are doing it the first few
times I stop and check, read and re-read...once so far it has gone without a
missed step or a misstake...but otherwise I have had to correct mistakes...

however, I also think the mast raising system is a really beautiful
system...

Now that our boat is in the water on Raritan Bay and we are a 35 minute
drive to the boat in ideal driving conditions, and we did have one nice sail
last Sunday afternoon, I am faced with the problem that some sailors have
which is feeling the wind blow, and wishing I could be on the water sailing
right then and there...lucky you lake or shore property owners!!

Real estate buzz...a two bedroom, 2 bath condo apt. first floor in Keyport,
NJ a step away from the water...asking price $420,000....and Keyport is not
a ritzy town, just on the Raritan Bay, though the developers and property
values they are arising...

> From: Slim <salm at mn.rr.com>
> Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 03:11:40 -0500
> To: Rhodes <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Raising The Mast
> 
> RAISING THE MAST WITH THE GB BOW CRANE:
> 
> WARNING: Never let anyone stand under the mast during the hoisting
> 
> 1.  Inspect masthead, attach radio antennae and check shroud and stay
> connections to mast
> 2.  With the mast resting on the mast crutch roller, walk the mast, boom and
> jib aft and connect the mast to the tabernacle
> 3.  Connect hoist crane to cabin top block
> 4.  Tie the crane winch line to the bow cleat
> 5.  Connect aft lower shrouds to top of crane
> 5a. Alternate:  Attach line from crane to mast bail and connect aft lowers
> to their chain plates
> 6.  Connect back stays to their chain plates, making sure back stays are in
> front of stern rail.
> 7.  Connect upper shrouds to their chain plates
> 8.  Put the 8² extensions on the forward lower shrouds and connect to their
> chain plates
> 9.  Begin raising the mast, continually checking for any shrouds or stays
> getting snagged or kinked, making sure the turnbuckles aren¹t fowled and
> tending the jib as it comes forward
> 10.  Raise the mast all the way up, keeping tension on the winch until you
> connect the bow stay to its chain plate
> 11. Disconnect the hoist crane and attach aft lower shrouds to their chain
> plates
> 12. Remove forward lower shroud extensions and connect shrouds to their
> chain plates
> 13. Adjust shroud turnbuckles as needed
> 14. Connect traveler bar between back stays
> 15. Lower the boom and connect it to the traveler
> 16. Tighten the back stay tensioning line
> 17. Remove mast crutch
> 18. Connect rudder asembly to the transom
> 19. Connect pop top to mast slider
> 20. Connect radio and steaming light
> 
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