We were parked near the ramp getting the
rigged ready for launch. I always look for power lines and trees before-hand. No lines. Big old trees, but so long as I drive in a straight line from the rigging area to the ramp, its all good. After I put the mast up, unbolted the rudders etc and was ready to roll, there was a bus parked directly in front of me (where it shouldn't be I might add), so I swung around it and crawled towards the ramp. Without any other indication, there was an almighty 'BANG' and the wife yelling that the mast just fell. By swinging around the bus, I'd forgotten about the proximity to trees and was relying on my earlier assessment that it was all good. But no, having swung around the bus, it wasn't.
Message # One to myself: Always, always, always look. After that, have someone actually watch as I manouvre the trailered boat onto the ramp.
The forestay broke at the upper swaging point. Right at it. Given the way all the strands broke at exactly the same point AND that it was an impact with a tree branch at less that walking pace, I can't help but wonder if the swaging was done incorrectly and actually weakened the wire rope forestay.
Damage: Broken forestay, obviously. Roller furler housing damaged. VHF mast-top aerial broken. Solar panel frame slightly bent and glass shattered. It could have been alot worse all things considered.
Message # Two to myself: Beef up the forestay when replacing it. If the swaging was actually faulty and failed when under sail, the result would have been considerably more....if not catastrophic.
Message # Three to myself: Stop admiring posts about people fitting a secondary forestay. Bloody well fit one!!
So, after that happened, we re-stowed the mast, and drove back home very annoyed, angry & embarrassed.
After removing the mast and furled genoa back at home, we decided that we shouldn't let that destroy a few days out on the boat, so we dragged her back (to another ramp!!) and spent a few days motoring around.
I post this story in the hope that it reinforces the need to look, Look, LOOK at all times, that people might want to have a close look at their forestay swages for possible damage, and also to consider the notion of a secondary forestay. Hopefully you're all smarter and more situationally aware than I was that day, and my story simply leaves you bemusedly shaking your head.
