Well,

I just hook the stays up except the forestay and walk the mast up from the rear. But I'm 6 foot 2 and I have no trouble lifting the superwing mast above my head and stepping onto the trampoline from the rear. Then again I singlehandedly walk up my 110 kg boat up a sandy inclined after sailing so I guess I have well developped upper leg muscles.

Mostly I ask a passer-by to grap a trap line and walk forward to keep the mast up when I step of the trampoline and grap the forestay and fix it to the bridle. Than I thank the passer by for those 10 seconds of his time and I tension my rig from the rear by pulling on a trap line with my mainsheet and adjusting my side sid. This I can singlehandedly.

When nobody is around then I just tie a line to my forestay or trapline and run it through the shackle of the bridles so I can pull it tight when the mast is up and tie it off loosely. But honestly this has not happened to me often. Up till now there was always somebody around to grap the trapline for 10 seconds. Any person (not only cat sailors) will do.

At one time I though about placing a strong bungee between the forestay and bridle strop. With the wind coming from behind a relatively small force would be enough to keep the mast up.

But the idea I really want to try it to tie a line to my forestay which I run through my bridle shackle and then through both the spi halyard cleat and the maintraveller car before I tie it too the main halyard itself. This creates a loop that is slack when the mast is horizontal, but when the mast is raied the loop tightens and pull the line through the shackle AND the spi halyard cleat. When the mast is almost upright the loop goes tight and pulls the line into the spi halyard cleat. Now the line to the forestay is secured in the cleat and the mast can't move back. And this system can be execute in reverse where you uncleat with your foot while pulling your mast backwards.

Does anybody understand what I mean here ?

I really believe this to be the most easy system and quickest system. But I agree that it will only suit poeple who have no issues with walking up the mast from the rear singlehandedly. I, for one, have no such issues.

I can't step from the front as I have a selftacking rail that sits right in front of my maststep.

Or should I draw out my idea for you guys ?

The amount of slack when the most is horizontal to a tight loop when it is standing upright is about 2.1 mtrs (= nearly exactly the distance between the cleat and rear traveller car. The use of the traveller car is important in this loop method. As it causes the loop to tighten at the right time and take out slack/pulling the forestay in to its final poistion..

Wouter

I'm sure a more elegant way is possible