Stepping the mast

Well it's time, finally, to get the mast stepped. This isn't a trivial job for a boat this big. She's long enough that the yard crane can't reach out far enough and high enough to lift the mast into place while the boat lies alongside at the dock. She has to be lifted back out by the travel lift, the mast lifted into place, and then the boat put back.

I actually didn't mind this, as it would give me a chance to eyeball the anti-fouling I did a couple of months ago, and see that it had held up after the launch, as well as to check all the zincs were secure.  The boat came out on Jan 20th, and I carefully checked it out.

The results were pretty good. There was one place where the anti-fouling had a gap of about 4 or 5 inches in it and the strontium primer was showing through -

The yard gave me a brush and some paint and I patched it up while they got ready to lift the mast.

Here's the mast foot as the yard lifts it up to get it stepped. The big crane allows them to lift it with slippable slings around the two spreader levels so that once it's in place they can be released without anyone going aloft.

Here's the mast hanging in the slings. With a crane like this lining it up and puting it onto the step is easy.

Here the boat is, still in the slings, but with the mast stepped and the stays - except the backstay - rigged and connected. The backstay has to wait till she's in the water as the rear cross-member of the travel-lift would be in the way.

The mast's up. Here's my son playing 'Mast Monkey' to connect up the wiring for the spreader lights.

It's a sailboat !