And it came crashing down!

[Terry]

I had a similar accident in my second sailing season where the shroud was caught while swaying from someones wake. Total cost including re-rigging with old hardware was about $2000 CDN so I did not hesitate to make an insurance claim. My premiums did not increase as a result, actually I would think that it was a minor claim considering the overall replacement value of the entire boat. I can't see the use of paying for insurance if you are not going to use it. I might also be tempted to follow in Tampa Mac's path and get the M mast now that the opportunity presents itself. (I'm sure the insurance compay won't mind paying for a superior mast) Even if you don't replace the sail you can always cut the extra two feet off the mast and use your old sail, but if it is getting time to replace your sail this is your chance for an upgrade. Even though the M has 300# of permanent ballast it uses 300# less water ballast to compensate so the final ballasted weight of both boats is the same. The X uses 1450 lbs of water ballast and the M uses 1150 lbs of water ballast. I found it rather embarrasing motoring around without a mast, people were always asking about it but it was only a month or so. Good luck on your decision.

[playmaker]

Broke my mast here in Safety Harbor about a year ago. I had Gateway Sailing piggy back one with a new boat. I was looking for a receipt but it was very reasonable. I drove the boat down to Cape Coral and he drilled all the holes and rigged it up. Took about 6 weeks to get the mast in and another to rig. So, you should be up and running first of November. Call the dealership in Punta Gorda.

[playmaker]

The Dealership phone # is 941-639-2320 and is now called Gulf Island Sails. I hope this helps

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Wow...Thanks for all the responses guys, I'll try to answer all the questions:

Rich, the carbon mast idea is interesting but I just don't have much time anymore to be on the bleeding edge of boat design...maybe if I was 20 years younger...or 20 years older I probably should give the boat a more thorough inspection soon but I did look at the chainplates and they looked ok. There are some little spider cracks around the baby stay mounts, but I'm pretty sure those were there before the incident. When the mast broke, the bottom piece stayed up because the boom was jammed into the bimini and dodger (I probably bent those a bit too but they are old). I should check the port chainplate better because that lower stay was under a lot of tension after the break. I had to pull the mast stub forward to get the tension off. For that matter, the tension on the boom vang was way overloaded too, lucky the cam cleat didn't break because it was under major stress and looked on the verge of breaking.

Chip, I guess your point is that I should go ahead and make a claim. This may be the way to go if I get a shop to do all the work and save me some time...but if the final cost is 5-600, then it definitely would not be worth it. I agree with you about big changes to the design as I mentioned above...and yes, these masts really do bend a lot when they are rigged so that is a good point about a sleeve restricting that.

Rich and Frank, I'm pretty much leaning this way (new mast). For reasons previously mentioned, I just don't have the time to monkey around with repairs and such. Despite the extra weight aloft and the stiffer section of mast, seems like a slug catcher for sure. Plus, you have to paint the mast for it not to show..which could mean repainting it every few years...just not too appealing.

Bobby, I did call Bill and he told me to talk to the dealers in the area. He said something about the dealership in Punta Gorda now being owned by a guy in NC who also has a dealership up there. Pretty soon I'll call him up but I want to have my plan finalized first. Plus, if I make an insurance claim, I have to get an adjuster out first I think.

Duane, thanks for reminding me about TampaMac's 26m mast. Guess he has dissapeared from the board. And thanks to TT also for referencing the mod page of Don's 26M mast upgrade...yet another SW FL comrade who tangled with a piling. And Bob, also in my neck of the woods to have a bent mast...and finally playmaker (thanks for the phone number), just 7 miles from me on the other side of the bay who also broke his mast last year. All of a sudden, I seem to have a lot of company...or else maybe there are just too many pilings around here. I have to admit, I wasn't sure whether to post about it at first since it is embarrassing but then I figured I would get a lot of good advice...which this board is always great for. I think we just doubled the amount of dismastings previously disclosed here.

Seems like everyone around me is going to gateway sailing for a fix..which also happens to be where my boat came from in the first place. I think that is about a 2 hour drive which is actually probably about 30 minutes closer than cape coral where the dealership used to be. I guess I would have to drive down there twice, once to drop the boat off (after new mast arrives) and again to pick it up when they finish the work. Or maybe they can get it done in a day or two and I can motor around pine island during that time.

Delevi, your comments and the others reinforce the fact that I guess I was lucky that it didn't come down on me, although the force of the rigging pulling on the stationary piling did pull it off to the side. My wife doesn't think I should take my 3 year old out alone anymore now..in case something happens to me, she would be stranded and have no idea what to do. That may be a bit drastic though. But I guess my point is that with a shroud catching something, it will pull it off to that side, whereas maybe if your turnbuckle unscrewed or you lost your forestay, it may come straight down on the cockpit. We discussed this here just a couple weeks ago I think...with the fact that the baby stays could keep it straight enough to hit the cockpit. Of course, in my case, it snapped clear off so it was no longer attached to the baby stays.

More in a little bit...I definitely want to respond to all the comments...

[Trav White]

Dimitri,

I bought TampaMac's 26X with the 26M rotating mast back in April. From reading the boards, I guess I am the only 26X in the world with the 26M rotating mast. This is my first boat, so I can't compare it to others, but it does seem to heel a bit. This may just be a function of the X itself, since I had it out in some stiff winds and rough water on the St. John's River over Memorial Day. We heeled between 15 and 25 degrees. It is also my understanding that the rotating mast is also supposed to cut down on the heeling since the forces are more forward.

If you can't find another X mast and have to go with an M mast, here's what I can tell you: The M mast is bigger, so you will need a new mainsail. Also, the M does not have a backstay, the shrouds are actually set back a bit from the mast, so I have 2 sets of chainplates, the original X plates and the new M plates a few inches behind. I don't think you would be able to use the X plates with a backstay, due to the angle of the spreaders, plus the mast won't rotate if you have the backstay attached. If you'll e-mail me at [email protected] I can send you pics of the mast and chainplates. Bottom Line: cost would include new mast, new mainsail, plus installation of new chainplates.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Hi Travis,

Guess that explains what happened to TampaMac. Strange, I thought he really liked his boat.

I was wondering about the backstay and why the M mast couldn't get one. I've never actually seen an M boat so I don't know how the mast rotates on the stationary shrouds. Took me a second look to figure out that TampaMac is the same person who posted the mod. I wonder if you are the only person here with a 26M rig on a 26X. I'll send you an email.

James,

I'm not sure if I did anything to harm the rigging. When I looked at the point of impact on the shroud cover, there was a little part ripped off where I saw metal shavings. I thought, oh oh..something bad happened to the shroud, but in fact, the cable was in perfect condition, so the metal shavings must have come from the channel marker sign. I'd guess that the cables can take a lot more strain than what is required to bust the mast off.

Rich/Ziggy, luckily my boat insurance is a different company than my home and cars. The insurance companies have definitely trained Floridians not to make claims...quite the racket really. But most of my $309 premium is for liability so I suppose a little claim for a new mast is not very much of the premium and may only cause a small increase. But you never know, they may figure my liability should cost more since I had an incident. Seems like Terry's insurance didn't rise...but wow, that seems expensive to just swap out masts. Maybe prices are higher in Canada.

Baldbaby, I wouldn't want to see what mine looked like if I myself welded it with no welding experience. I thought welding aluminum was trickier than steel too. Could you race a 26X with a 26M mast in a PHRF race, or does it need to be stock?

Terry, I am definitely tempted to put a 26M mast on but I still have a lot of questions. Like for example, will my antenna and windex still clear a 40 foot bridge. I suspect the answer is yes. I guess I have to decide if I want to make a bigger "project" out of it than it already is as well as taking on the cost of a new mainsail. Not sure if the insurance company would go for it either. The Mac factory said they did have 26X masts available (even though the last time I called for a CB hanger last year, Bill said he had no more 26X parts at all). I'll take up Travis' offer of pictures to get a better idea of what's involved.

[Night Sailor]

I wouldn't hesitate to sleeve the mast if the broken pieces are straight. Many, many circumnavigations have been made with broken masts sleeved in remote ports. Some boats with very tall masts are made that way from the factory, if I recall.

The amount of added weight aloft is probaly not going to be significant if you always sail ballasted. Play now, replace later after sailing season! Wait until something major happens to tap your insurance.

[Frank C]

Dimitri,
FWIW, a sleeved repair would create considerably less weight aloft than the M-mast, particularly if you go with the full M sail. (Of course, nothing prevents using the X's mainsail, it just hoists somewhat short of the top). The M-mast would also be quite a bit more expensive, requiring more installation effort for chainplates, perhaps some tweaking for the forestay.

A sleeve should have no impact on the mast track and slugs, since it will wrap around the front of the repair. Of course, the track itself needs to be welded and faired. I imagine a local rigging shop could make the repair ... just unsure what the price might be.

Finally, upon first reading your story, I had exactly the same thought as your wife ... maybe fatalistic, but I too pondered the little girl alone and adrift ... I think I agree with the Adm.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Ok, so the sleeve does not wrap all the way around the mast, I guess that makes sense otherwise you couldn't hoist a sail. The sail track is all mangled up of course so it would have to be aligned perfectly and then smoothed out.

The problem of course is that the mast is indeed bent on at least one side of the break. It seems quite logical that it would bend first and then shear second.

I know it is a risk to take a 3yr old out alone but there are risks in everything, for example, what happens if you are alone with a child in a car and you get into an accident? I think I have seen stories like this where the parent gets killed and the child is left alone. You might say that the risk is higher in a boat, but I think I also read of a car accident where the car fell into a river and the kid was stranded. For that matter, it could happen at home too so there are no guarantees. Anyway, it will motivate me to do more drills with the older kids asap.

[Lee T.]

Dimitri,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune, glad everyone is OK.
We're over in Crystal Beach below Tarpon Springs and know exactly what you have to deal with in staying in the channels. If we have 2.5 ft we can just inch out to the ICW by Honeymoon Is. Really skinny water here.
Recently stopped at Gulf Island Sails(Capt. Ed Benson G.M.) (www.gisails.com) Wasn't too easy to find, but we did. It is not on the water.
That Pine Island area is beautiful. Just went to Matlacha(by car)
Maybe can get together for a sail after you're up and running.
Lee

[Catigale]

Dimitri

I think the Admiral will respond well if you take the following steps for an outing with an under 5 year old ...

- Motor clip in place at all times
- Train her how to turn the motor off with the little red button - at this age they actually need to do it to imprint it, not just hear the steps.

**** This came in really handy one day when I stepped off the boat and left the motor in gear and running at dock......... DOH!!!......



- Safety line and safety harness connected I would say all times, but certainly if you ever go up top.

WHen Ab and Caitlin were 5 (first year with Catigale) they were taught how to use the VHF to say "Im 5 and Im on a boat all by myself." I trained them using FRS radios on using the Push to talk so I wouldnt contaminate VHF channels.

Now we get in the dinghy on the water with the backup VHF and do real VHF communications so they can do a Pan Pan, Securite, and a Mayday.

[normo]

Dimitri:

Sorry to read about your mishap. If you sail long enough some unpleasant incident will get you sooner or later. I've already had more than my share. I applaud you for not attempting to shift the blame to your 3 year old.

I ordered a new X mast from BWY and they coordinated shipping with MacGregor. It took awhile but the mast was included in a new boat shipment to a Mac dealer in Ft. Lauderdale. There was no transportation charge. It would seems a little greedy for a dealer to tack on a shipping charge for a free ride.

As background, I acquired a hurricane damaged boat with a badly bent mast. Thanks to this forum, bobmonroe answered one of my pleas for broken mast parts and gave me a slightly bent mast that he had replaced on his boat. I have been using this mast for several months and it seems to be ok but I haven't sailed it in high wind conditions yet. I don't plan to drill the new mast until I determine that the mast Bob gave me is NG.

Since I'm not using the new mast now you are welcome to it. Unfortunately it would be a major transportation hassle for you to pick it up and then replace it later as I live on the East coast of Florida.

Good luck.

[Terry]

"Securite"
I hear it over the VHF all the time but I have no idea what it means, Pan Pan & Mayday sure but "securite" is new to me. It was not even covered in my PowerSquadron VHF course! Can someone enlighten me?

[KayakDan]

Terry,
Securite' is a VHF call to general traffic on CH16 to signal your intent in a potentially hazardous situation. Example "Securite,Securite,Securite,this is the sailing vessel Spice,proceding across the Fox Island Thoroughfare on a heading of 75o,100 yards south of the day marker at the North entrance. Local traffic please acknowlege"
You might also want to use this in a case of towing another vessel in an area of traffic
This may be a case where you are crossing a busy channel in limited visibility,and you would want approaching traffic watching for you.
We use this in kayaking,when there is a lot of boat traffic,so they are watching for us.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

wikipedia definition

pronounced: say-cur-i-tay


Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI & '06 2.5-Suzuki