Oh my gosh, I hope I don’t fall.
I don’t know how to fix this $#&% thing.
$&*@, I forgot the screwdriver/wire/sealant/etc. and now I’m going to have to go down and back up again.
Why won’t this $%^&*! thing work?!
$%#* I dropped a screw!
Wow, the view is great up here.
Can I come down yet?
Yes, there is a lot of swearing that goes on when you are up the mast. You never go up the mast just for FUN. It is always because something needs to be fixed. We find that it is best to just silently mutter the expletives as one’s voice carries quite some distance in a marina.
This past week we have been attempting to figure out why the mast lights do not work. There are three lights on the mast. The anchor light is up at the tippy top of the mast. It should be turned on at night when you are in an anchorage so others can see you. About ¾ up the mast you will find the deck light which shines down on the deck and the steaming light which is designed so boats next to you and in front of you can see you. The steaming light should be on when you are motoring at night.
In Monterey we realized that the steaming light did not work. We had been using the deck light which was plenty bright. I went up the mast in Monterey to ‘fix’ the problem. I inadvertently broke the deck light so we just had an anchor light left. So we used our anchor light as a steaming light as well. This week I went up the mast to try to fix the steaming and deck lights once again. I inadvertently made the anchor light go out. You would think that electrical wires would be relatively easy to figure out. Power is on at the base of the mast- check. Positive to positive and negative to negative and PRESTO the light goes on!
After several trips up the mast the PRESTO never came. I’m over it. I’ll volunteer to stand on the deck and hold a light up for 12 dark hours before I go up the mast again. We’re leaving for Mexico this week with at least one working light OR some home-brewed concoction on the mast. Heck, maybe we’ll even wrap the mast with Christmas lights!
Where are your red and green navigation lights located? Shouldn’t those be on the mast as well so it their easy to see? Good luck fixing those lights!
Thanks! Luckily our green and red lights are on a seperate system and on the bow. Those wires came loose too and I was able to successfully fix that easily.
Now I know why I will never go sailing on a long trip like you too. Horses were a lot of work but only a few feet up. Be careful.
Thanks Christy! It’s not so bad. And I’m warming to the idea of going up again. Since Conor is stronger and I am lighter it makes most sense for me to go up. I’m fine as long as I get a drink afterwards!
Well…at least you got an awesome photo
Thanks!
Hi Lanea and Conor,
Are you using a Bosuns’ Chair when you go up the mast? Check out: HARKEN Premium Bosuns Chair – YouTube. When you go up, you’ll have a bag for tools, a comfy seat, and we like the idea of wearing a life jacket so your body doesn’t hit the mast. Hope you get the lights fixed before you leave for Mexico. We always looked for the red and green lights on other sailboats when we sailed. Good luck. Love, Tia Irma and Tio Jim
Hi Tia Irma and Tio Jim, we have a west marine bosuns chair. It is not the one I wanted but it is the closest to what I wanted that I could find. It also has a tool bag and is pretty comfy. Luckily our red and green lights are on the
bow and DO work. That is all we need if we are sailing at night without the motor
I kinda like the idea of xmas lights!
Felize Navidad guys.
ps: I hear the winds are still strong down south.
Feliz Navidad! The winds were strong in LA but relatively mild in SD. We should have great sailing weather this week!