I really put that story together in response to a post I saw about repairing a corroded mast base, it struck me that I had repaired a corroded mast base on the 5.8 not long before the stay failed. It shows how a little problem can get a lot bigger and inconvenience a lot of people. When the rescue boat left us they asked our permission and that other sailor was the priority, we probably should have abandoned the boat and gone with them. I didnt have a hole in the tramp near the mast for the rope to go around the beam and considered cutting a hole in the tramp. Its a good suggestion to make a Y bridle from each side of the beam I would do that in future with the jib sheet. My current boat has a bridle I would just tie onto.
My side stay broke well down inside the swage where you would never see it, it had a small rust stain the same as my near new 5.7 stays have a small rust stain now.