How do you get an 80 ft mast under a 65 ft bridge?

[anchordiva]

How do you get an 80 ft mast under a 65 ft bridge? This guy sure figured it out.

http://wimp.com/mastbridge/

I haven't been on this forum for a few years. I'm now "AnchorDiva". I used the moniker "Galley Slave" in my prior tenure on this forum. Life happens. I am now divorced and thereby no longer an owner of a sailboat, but I live around the corner from Herrington Harbor North and see boats on the Bay every day. I still feel like a sailor.

Thanks, Sean, for keeping in touch.

 

[EGregerson]

dan-ger-ious

That's not something i would try. If anything... any...thing goes wrong, there goes your mast. and maybe your boat. That stretch looks like the NC portion of the ICW; maybe Hobucken. I suspect they took the boat in at Beaufort; then north. That would minimize the number of bridges; ICW south of Beaufort is more congested and has tidal issues. Anyway, neat clip.

 

[rwthomas1]

Now that is way too cool! Dangerous? Maybe, but the rig should be up to the loading, yes? I remember reading about services that specialize in this trick to get your boat under bridges. RT

 

[anchordiva]

"I purchased a boat because setting fire to $100 bills was not an efficient enough way to dispose of them...."

I love the quote.

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

The service

There's a marina down around Indiantown in Florida that does this, but they use barrels filled with water on your boat. The bridge is a railroad bridge used by Big Sugar east of Lake Okeechobee (sp?). If you are going to cross FL via the lake you have to under this bridge. The barrels are filled with water that is let out subsequent to going under the bridge. No pressure on the rig. It called the Okeechobee Limbo. But it works. The barrels are plastic & blue with, I would suppose, a threaded bung in the bottom and on on the top. The water comes out of the St, Lucie Canal via pump. There's a boat from the marina that accompanies you.

 

[tenders]

This is called, predictably enough, "tipping" a boat and is an ancient practice.

 

[EGregerson]

dan ger ious

I'm mostly concerned about other traffic; particularly barges. I guess you would need to check the airways first; make sure no barges or express cruisers (on mental auto pilot) are approaching.