I just raised my Spitfire mast singlehanded, using tips from this forum and friends. The Spitfire mast is quite light, but the principles are the same (I also have a Nacra 6.0 and would use the same method if necessary, since the issue is not abouth strength but about handling a long unsteady object around your delicate boat in a safe manner, and keeping an upright pole steady while you wander off to attend to the forestay - especially if you have a lot of mast rake as the Spitfire does). It was really easy:

First of all, despite what I said, you need to make a friend: Mine's called Billy. He's a tripod constructed from three wooden battens about 2 metres in length. Drill a hole 9 inches or so from one end of each leg, and cut one 'leg' down to within a an inch of this hole. Drill another hole roughly in the centre of each leg. (The tripod's not yours!). Pass a short piece of rope through the end holes and knot off both ends, leaving a little room for movement. Stand your tripod up and pass another piece of rope through the central holes and knot off the ends, to stop the legs from spreading any further. You've now got all the assistance you need, and it can be folded up and stored in your trailer box without taking much room or drinking any of your beer.

So now you arrive at the sailing venue, and you've got no mates (or your crew isn't arriving until the next day, in my case!). Out comes Billy Tripod, dutifully standing to one side of the rear beam ready to take the rearmost end of the mast after lifting it from your boat. This allows you to lift the front end of the mast from the trailer mast support, and put it on the ground gracefully. (I tried it without Billy one time a while back, and wow, what a mess I got into...).

Now you can get the boat off the trailer, ideally leaving it just behind the trailer. Remove the wheels, etc, if you are on a hull friendly surface, so that the hulls are stable and as low to the ground as possible.

Reposition the mast on the ground alongside the boat, so that the mast foot is in line with the front beam. Move the tripod so that it is directly behind the rear beam, in line with the ball on the front beam, and far enough back so that it is positioned between the mast tip and attachments i.e. about 18 inches or so from the tip. Place the top of the mast on the tripod. Make sure it IS free to slide back and forth (a little) i.e. not fouled by the main halyard etc.

Lift and place the mast foot onto the ball on the front beam. I was able to twist mine through 90 degress and secure it with the pin, thanks to the clearance Billy was giving me. Attach the shrounds and do all the other things you need to do... spinni halyard, etc, light the barbi, take the beer out of the coolbox in anticipation of future success, and so on until you are ready for the lift.

I left a trapeze line free and attached a length of rope to the handle. This was brought forward, passed round a strut on the trailer (still in front of the boat, and too heavy to be moved by a mast). Bring the rope back to the front beam, and this is the clever bit... through a cleat, such as the spinni tack or even the downhaul on the mast.

Keep loose hold of the rope and lift the mast from the rear beam (usual warnings here about cables overhead, electrical storms, low flying aircraft, passing flocks of geese, small children flying kites, and the potential for death or serious injury). Since Billy T is still doing his job at the mast tip, this lift should be relatively easy as the mast is already a good way above the beam, allowing you to "lift with your knees and not your back". Push the mast all the way up, and now use a spare hand to take up the slack in the rope. Now the mast is up and due to the friction of the rope round the trailer as well as a fitting on the boat, you'll find the effort required to hold the mast up with the rope alone is very small. Cleat it off and the mast will stay upright while you stand back and admire it, put the burgers on the barbi and open the beer.

Now all you need to do is attach the forestay, remove the pin, adjust the rig tension etc and finally remove the rope from the trapeze and trailer. Now for the burgers and the beer...

My mate attaches a line to the forestay and passes it through the bridle and back to the beam avoiding the need to involve the trailer - I prefered keeping things separate so that I could work with the forestay, safe in the knowledge the mast wasn't going anywhere while I did so.

Another method I saw at the same event left me speechless: One chap had two helpers and still needed more. He was holding has mast upright, obviously having done the lift. One friend was at the port end of the front beam, holding a trapeze line AND a shroud. You've got it, his other friend was holding the other trapeze line AND shroud at the starboard end of the beam. Man with mast in hand was trying to keep it upright while directing his mates forwards and backward to try to balance the whole thing. Lord knows what he was going to do next but it seemed as though he was intent on having his mates hold the mast aloft by the shrouds while he went forward to attach the forestay. I didn't know whether to be dumbstruck or awestruck at some technique with which I was unfamiliar, but at least my mate realised that the appropriate action was the former and immediately waded in with some helpful advice before someone or their car got hurt.

HTH
Simon


Simon
Shadow 067