The mast is UP!!!

We finally got the rigging set up for the mast and up it came! In the pictures you can see the post attached to the bottom of the mast with a hinge so it can be removed: its purpose is to provide leverage for the line from the top of the mast (the forestay actually) which goes to the top of the post and attaches to the block-and-tackle which I got online (it’s rock-climbing gear, very well-made and robust), which in turn attaches to the eye on the foredeck, just behind the stem. Then we rigged stabilizers (black rope) from the middle of the post out to the outriggers, to which the first shrouds (stays) also go. This made for a very stable (no wobbles sideways, which would be deadly!) and strong system to raise the mast. The block-and-tackle is 4-part, and Ivar figured that the force needed to pull the mast up (it weighs about 100 pounds) would be something like 150 pounds because of the angle it’s being pulled up at, so the effort needed to pull is 1/4, or about 35 pounds, more with friction )))). The great thing is that one person can rig it all up, once the mast is in place on the cradle at the stern and in its step (the “shoe” that in the middle of the ship). So launching, which is when we’d need to raise the mast, every time))), won’t require a team of 10 football players! As you look at the pictures, notice the mast first resting on its cradle, then lift slightly, then it’s UP! At the same time the support post goes from vertical to almost horizontal… it’s rather magical, no?

Next we have to finish the rigging, adjusting the lengths of all the lines, and we’ll be able to test raising the spar (boom) with the sail on it! We’ll do that at the shipyard when there’s no wind…….