Page 279 - Brion Toss - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

of carpeting will prevent scratches. If you have an
external sail track, lay the mast track-side-up. Oth-
erwise, work out with the crane operator what the
best orientation for the pick is.

Running Rigging
Get out the appropriate list along with all the blocks
and their shackles. Lay these out in a rigger’s smor-
gasbord, then prepare the rope for reeving by sling-
ing spools on rod or pipe to pay out toilet-paper
fashion. If the rope is three-strand, and if it comes
in tub coils instead of on spools, place the tubs at
convenient points and start them by pulling the end
up from the bottom of the coil, to avoid kinks. This
trick only works with three-strand.
It’s best to step with all halyards rove, but if the
work site is notably dirty you might want to reeve
temporary lines out of flag halyard stuff, then use
these to pull the real thing in later.
If you reeve before stepping, cut the halyards
plenty long. As a rule of thumb, they should be
twice the height from the water to the top of the
mast. If the halyards lead aft, add the horizontal
distance traveled to this length. With halyards cut to
this rule, they’ll be long enough to get something–or
someone–out of the water. They’ll also be harder to
“sky” accidentally.
Check five times or so that all of the halyards
are on the proper sheaves, are leading on the correct
side as they pass spreaders, and are exiting the mast
at the proper spots.
Things can be more complicated if you’re set-
ting up a gaffer. Let’s say your list starts with a
throat halyard. Attach the upper block to the mast
and have an assistant hold the lower block close
to it. Reeve the blocks and hitch the standing end
temporarily to its becket, or, in the case of a dou-
ble-ended halyard, to the gooseneck or boom sad-
dle. Walk the lower block down to about the level
of the boom, pulling rope off the spool or out of the
coil as you go. Lead the hauling part down to about
the height it will belay, add enough for three turns
Figure 7-1E-H. Hoist signals. (E) Lower load. (F) around a winch, if any, plus 4 to 6 feet for belaying,
Raise load. (G) Hold that; take a turn. (H) Make fast. plus a like amount for shortening up due to chafe.
Constrictor the end; cut, hitch the end around the

258