ohhhh, that's a good one!!!



I like todd's "fly a hull" suggestion.... it means you're actively sailing the boat under, as opposed to limping along under modified rig, or dragging the capsized boat, etc.. besides, it'll give good "wild thing" boat balancing practice!



it begs the question: how deep (wide) is this bridge? the wider it is, the longer you'll need to maintain this delicate balancing act, AND the wider it is, the more it will wreak havoc on the air currents up near the underside of the deck, which will make that balancing act more difficult.



typical wave conditions would also be a concern.



of course, I'm talking out of my butt. any way you do this, it's a shaky proposition. you're bound to incur some mainsail damage in the learning process.



A more stable solution might be to rig some sort of extendable headstay (aussie-halyard style?) that would allow you to temporarily rake the mast way way back, and then re-erect it once on the other side. I'm thinking that you'll want to go 30 degrees or so in order to give yourself a cushion. of course, this means that the shrouds are no longer taut, and the mast will likely swing wildly out to one side, so someone will need to steady it. it also means that you probably can't sail the boat like that, so you'll need some other means of propulsion to get under the bridge.



damned interesting problem! be sure to post your solution once you get it figured out!!