How to climb a mast solo at sea - Yachting Monthly
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2022
- Ever wondered how solo sailors climb a mast alone at sea? Yachting Monthly's Technical Editor, JT, talks us through the all the kit and techniques you'll need.
See a full list of JT's recommended kit at: www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/...
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I use exactly this setup (minus the extra purchase biner on the ascender, thanks for that). The only change I'd recommend is to get a pitch of static climbing line, tie that into the halyard and pull it to the top of the mast. Then climb on the climbing line not on the halyard. As you noticed with the stiff line, halyards aren't made for this and you don't really want the ascender teeth tearing into your halyard.
When preparing to descend I tie a slip knot into the standing end so that should the grigri run while I'm messing with the ascender then the knot will catch in the grigri. When I'm ready to descend I slip the knot while holding the belay.
Finally, when descending I would recommend putting your control hand near your waist and behind your back, not near the grigri as you did. A little extra friction of the line running over your hip makes control a bit easier and more importantly, your hand can get sucked into the grigri if it gets too close.
Thanks for the video!
Yeah clearly not something she does often.
This is the absolutely best video about how to do this! Thanks
I’ve been climbing mast solo for decade or two.
I would advise a bosun chair and climbing harness on two separate lines. If you get caught up must alone on climbing harness alone, you will get blood circulation cut off and maybe gangrene. It has happened many times.
Also, a safety line independent to the main halyard and a Prussik knot.
There are better and smaller ascenders that allow access to masthead than the one demonstrated.
Descent on gri gri using single line could easily end up in a permanent wheelchair.
Use a friction descender instead without moving parts. That way you cannot panic grip the descender open and crash to deck.
Practice many times and use utmost care.
I have climbed a mast with a climbing harness and it does cut off blood circulation. It was rather uncomfortable. I now use a bosun's chair.
@@vaughanjohansen1172 exactly. But just remember that you can fall out of a bosun chair by leaning backwards. Try it and you’ll see that you should also wear a harness under the bosun chair
With a climbing harness its important to make sure you can manage coming down on a Munter hitch before you ascend the mast. Getting stuck aloft is definitely not an option!
perfectly clear and understandable for an average English speaking French man. Thanks a lot.
One of the clearest and comprehensive Video on mast climbing Thanks
Hi, not trying to be too critical here but the grigri really isn't designed to do what you dementrated here in that it's an "cam assisted blocking" belay and not a self-braking decender. Basicaly the diference is that if you want to go "hands off" and sit back on your decender as you demontrated you shouldn't be using the grigri as really you should have a hand on the brake end of the rope, the grigri isn't self locking just assisted braking.
Have a look at the petzl Rig or I'D (there are multipe different self brakeing decenders so find one that fits your rope diamiter) as these are designed for this and will allow you to safely sit back on the desender. I'm sure 90% of the time you'll be fine with the grigri but (especaly if your solo) things don't always go to plan and added to this halyards not being nice climbing ropes that are kept nice and clean in a bag until there needed, any added bit of safety is probaly a good thing!
Putting an overhand knot beneath the grigri is a simple and safe way of happily going hands free for half the price of a Rig of I’D- or sticking a 3rd hand on below it
I was about to write the same thing. You should to tie the grigri off as per Petzl manual for hands off operations. You need to keep your hand on the brake strand otherwise.
The gri gri is a belay device, with emergency blocking. It's not a descender with a locking mechanism. That would be a Rig or a I.D. The b makes the difference. A blocked device, as shown in the video, isn't safe. A locked one is.
Ascending on a gri gri can be done, but it's a emergency type of thing (like being stuck while repelling). You should not make a plan of using it as an ascender.
Fantastic demonstration.
Excellent video, thanks for sharing.
Today I used your method on my boat. Worked perfect!
Good vid - one of the better on the topics - but two comments that I think are important: firstly, she mentions it but dos not stress that you must use a second line as a safety line. Ascending on a single line *as shown* is very dangerous, running a prusik on a second halyard as safety makes it pretty safe. Secondly, I think the way she feeds the downline from the grigri up through the carib in order to gain purchase is quite dodgy: the grigri depends on some downward pressure to be assured it will lock; raising it like this is against the manufacturers advice and might risk a rapid descent.
Thank you!
Excellent explanation
Snatch blocks are great for this. You could literally hoist yourself on acent and let yourself down on decent. Just keep in mind that you NEED to sexure the backside of the line so if you let go, you don't just come crashing down. Also, I know it isn't the most comfortable, but learn to tie a rope into a harness that you can use to climb. That harness may be nice, but this makes a perfect backup.
Great and easy too
A halyard isn’t very good as a safety line because it is designed to have no or as low as possible stretch. If you fall it will stop you, but you will probably break your back or pelvis. The energy of a body mass stopping abruptly is like hitting a concrete wall while riding a bike. Climbing lines do stretch for this reason. I use a climbing line specifically as a safety line, one end tied to the base of the mast. The middle of the line is hauled up the mast using a LFR, then tying the other end also at the base of the mast. This way there is always enough stretch available, even when you are at the top of the mast. If you fall, fall softly!
Good point if there is a risk of falling with a abrupt stop but not necessary when ropeclimbing as there is no risk for falls above last fixed point, as when cragging.
Attach a separate sling to your harness and loop it round the mast otherwise you'll be swinging all over the place at sea. also when you reach the top you can use it to attach to the mast as security back up.
Can't really comment on the setup, I have to try it out myself, but the video looks very informative. Great camera work and brilliant explanation. I am using a Topclimber as, I think, what it look likes in the video thumbnail.
It's a ow to kill yourself video! Sign up for an IRATA level 1 rope access course if you want to learn how to work safer on a mast and what PPE you need and why.
This could be a dangerous explanation, you are calling the rope you are on a halyard but it looks like you switched it for a dedicated climbing rope? that grigri takes a very specific rope diameter 8.5 to 11mm with the optimum diameter of 8.9 to 10.5, if you put a standard 8mm halyard on this it wont grip. I have a dedicated climbing line that i swap out with either the spinnaker topping lift or the foresail halyard depending on how far i need to go up the mast. My climbing line cost me 30 bux and is the proper rope for climbing and is 9.3mm, my halyards cost 3x that and it would be a shame to destroy the covers on climbing equipment. I have almost the exact same set up except i use a pully on the top of the ascender, it makes the pull much easier. Also for safety, tie a knot in your descending line before you take off your ascender, its called a catastrophe knot, then tie a prussik from the side of your harness to the descending line, then undo your catastrophe knot. Also loop the descending line around the top of the grigri and back through the carabineer. To descend you put one hand on the grigri lever and one hand on the prussik. The other thing i do it have a spare foot loop and wrap it around the mast and tie it off to my harness so i dont fall all over the place. You could also use a second prussik on a separate line, but i find it just gets in the way. My advice for people who have never done this is google srt climbing and learn from rock climbers and tree climbers, then adapt those techniques for mast climbing.
Petzl microtrax for up
Petzl grigri for down on a length of static rope with never more than a foot of slack.
I’ve used that setup for solo top-rope climbing 100s of times. 2x check everything!
Super, 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Curiously - The Channel "Hard is easy" made a video on how those BD Gridlock carabiners aren't great with Petzl's GriGri
Funnily enoug, I just saw that video yesterday, so it was quite a pain to watch this.
@@JJ_gej well like he said, issues are unlikely..
Fox is FOXY 😍😍😍😍😍
I have usually been the largest member of a crew. Great excuse to man a winch and not go up the mast. I have very rarely sailed solo and only for very short sails and have never had to go up the mast, fortunately.
You know it would be a lot easier with 2 ascenders. A descender isn't really meant to work that way. I mean it does but it's more effort
The halyards diameter on 40 ft boat is bigger than grigri allowed diameter. Better watch out.
Dont go so far up the rope you can't raise the asender to disenge it.
The title is "How to climb a mast solo at sea" Great info on the kit needed but deathly silence on the experience of using it AT SEA. 50 feet up even on a calm day with a swell is scary. Had to go up to cut a halyard. It's difficult because it's a situation you want to avoid and therefore don't get the experience. A tough judgement call.
There is alot missing in this vid safety wise! Good to look at kit an ideas - get a pro to teach you. Going up in a climbing harness for more than 5minutes gets uncomfortable fast etc ( see other comments ) Halyards by themselves are very dangerous to climb on.
Wouldn't it be quicker to use a jet pack?
Most sailors do not have all that climbing gear.
It seems that setup has too many “single point of failure”s for me, two independent lines attached with good old prusik knots are better than this imho 🧿keep safe
𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘮 ☺️
Ow here we go again. Sailors using climbing gear that is not designed to use this way. And for a very good reason! !!! Since this is shown as a 'how to video', I really urge you to remove it. So much is wrong or poorly explained or implemented and is dangerous. Simply said if you don't understand the physics involved or climbing safety don't use this video!!
To name a few: A grigri is a half automatic belay device for a belayer that belays a climber that uses the rope only if he falls and not to climb with it. Therefore the belayers has to give out or to take in rope fast. Therefor the grigri has a 4kg force springloaded cam inside that stays open. Only when load is applied and there is enough friction on the other end of the rope the cam activates and pinches the rope. When you stand in the footloop, the cam releases. But also if you would stand for a rest on the spreaders. If you then hang back, expecting the grigri to grab, you might be in for a big surprise and drop 30cm to 3 meters surprise, Also way on to, pushing you up into the footloop to get above the masthead, the grigricam releases. This is why, rope acces climbers don't use sportclimbers grigri's but a ID's or Rig's (Sirius, sparrow etc) which can be locked off. And latest models have auto lock. They always climb with 1 climbing and one safetyline. Lines that are certified to climb on, have specific diameters to work smoothly in the gear used. And would't want the theeth and load on an ascender in my dyneema halyards. Dyneema that is static, and when taking a drop it is doubtful the prussic you show will hold. But for certain, with that length on a static line the shock load will be around 5 kN or 500kg. In which the heat in the knot will burn into you precious line. You're stuck, and then what? Next, use a pulley in the to ascender carabiner. Next you don't loosen and attach carabiners. the chance you drop then on to what or who? With the right method and gear like a rollclip all is kept together. Well to end positive. You did one thing very nice and good! you tied up your hair and no lose shirt. And not being one of many that get halfway stuck screaming.
Too messy for me.
way too complicated use ropes only
Too many gadgets, potentially made in China gadgets. I've seen guys climb a mast in their bare feet in 30 seconds using nothing but a 4' rope. IMO, that's far safer that some noob misusing all your complicated hardware. I have a bosuns chair
Can’t understand what she is saying.
Yeah I had that problem as well. Not very clear speech. You already need to know WTF she's talking about to comprehend. Why not use a bosuns chair instead I would think that would be a lot more comfortable. And something to anchor oneself further up around your chest instead down near your stomach like this. I'd find another way as I'm scared of height to begin with (the main reason I would not own a a sailboat is the height of that main mast).