From a friend:
Friends on [a 34 foot S&S] lost their mast last Sunday sailing off Santa Cruz. The mast and rigging were oversize, but likely original, 47 years old. I looked over the swadges and rigging after the dismasting, and found incipient cracks. In the attached photo, check out the upper shroud fork which failed and caused the mast to come down when closed hauled in 20 knots of wind. No one hurt, and no damage to boat or sails.
Although a rigger is better at it (or at least better than I am ), we can eyeball our stays and fittings for hairline cracks.
Any crack is an emergency.
They are often nearly invisible, and would never be noticed except by a careful and borderline-paranoid personal inspection.
A professional rigging inspection is a really good idea, if my experience is any indication (in failing to notice issues).
Friends on [a 34 foot S&S] lost their mast last Sunday sailing off Santa Cruz. The mast and rigging were oversize, but likely original, 47 years old. I looked over the swadges and rigging after the dismasting, and found incipient cracks. In the attached photo, check out the upper shroud fork which failed and caused the mast to come down when closed hauled in 20 knots of wind. No one hurt, and no damage to boat or sails.
Although a rigger is better at it (or at least better than I am ), we can eyeball our stays and fittings for hairline cracks.
Any crack is an emergency.
They are often nearly invisible, and would never be noticed except by a careful and borderline-paranoid personal inspection.
A professional rigging inspection is a really good idea, if my experience is any indication (in failing to notice issues).
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