A sinker and line makes a reliable messenger
Issue 121: July/Aug 2018
When the genoa halyard aboard my father’s C&C 29 broke last summer, we thought we would have to remove the mast to replace the internal halyard. My dad, George Alles, has owned this boat since he bought it new in 1984. Now 80, he continues to race at the club level on a regular basis, and he was not happy with the prospect of losing valuable racing and sailing time.
I went aloft in a bosun’s chair to see if I could reeve a new halyard without removing the mast. My attempts to feed an old wire halyard through were unsuccessful due to the small space and the existing fittings. The wire simply would not bend around the internal sheave and feed through the mast. As I descended back to the deck, I accepted the reality we would have to pull the mast to solve this problem.
However, after much thought, I was ready for a second try, and I found the solution in my fishing-tackle box.
I located some sinkers that were just the right shape to fit through the narrow opening at the top of the mast. I attached one of them to some very strong fishing line and let gravity guide it through the internal workings of the mast. By removing the halyard exit plate, I was able to retrieve the sinker and pull it through.
With the new halyard securely tied to the fishing line, I slowly fed it through from the top while a friend gently tugged from deck level. Our patience paid off. The bright red replacement line appeared at the exit to be pulled back out into the July sunshine.
Success! We were back racing the next day. I also had a great photo op aloft, 43 feet above Cedar Creek.
Kevin Alles is an elementary school teacher, which allows him to sail his 1978 Bayfield 32, Sea Alles, for a good part of the summer. He and his wife, Janan, sail out of Cedar Island Yacht Club in Kingsville, Ontario, on Lake Erie, and enjoy cruising in the Lake Erie Islands of Ohio and Pelee Island in Ontario. Their two adult children join them on the now rare occasions when they are not busy.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
