Page 340 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

or at worst easily addressed problems. It’s easier to
Pantyhose Fan Belt (Sheer Ingenuity)
jury-rig a block than a winch, or a shroud than an
If your problem is a broken fan belt, and there’s no unstayed carbon fiber mast, or reefing gear than a
spare, try knotting a pair of pantyhose to length roll-away mainsail. I’m not saying that the old ways
around the pulleys. It just might get you home.
are necessarily better—only that increased efficiency
and convenience, with sailboats no less than kitchen
appliances, carry with them increased consequences
of malfunction; traditional skills can be of greater
value on a modern boat than on a traditional one.

Problem: The 160-foot barque Elissa (shown in
this chapter’s opening illustration) was on its way
in from the last of four daysails celebrating its com-
plete restoration, when the tug that was accompa-
nying it somehow wandered in under the head gear.
Elissa’s dolphin striker speared the tug’s house and
The pantyhose fan belt. was broken off. Jibboom guys carried away, the
jibboom cracked, and strain on the foreroyal and
topgallant stays pulled the fore topgallant mast for-
tem, adding immeasurably to its complexity and ward at a frightening angle, threatening to bring it
strength and giving it the ability to avoid trauma or crashing down, yards and all. It was Nabob again
to respond to it if it does occur. The more prepared only worse, with many more people in much greater
and aware we are, the richer the system is. jeopardy from a larger, more complex, more heavily
When people talk about effective responses to damaged rig.
emergencies, much is made of preparedness—hav-
ing the right tools, duplicate parts, and rehearsed Response: The foredeck was cleared in an instant.
procedures. These things are very important, but Instinct took care of that. As the tug was working
from a traditional perspective, too much emphasis is clear, the crew lowered staysails and clewed up
placed on specific items and actions. Since things do squaresails; riggers dove into the forepeak to get
not always break when and how one expects, specific come-alongs, blocks, and tackle; qualified crew
practices must be complemented by broad knowl- went cautiously aloft to check for mast damage; and
edge, and by a resilient attitude that fosters the asso- passengers were moved well aft. The key was team-
ciative thinking that can put broad knowledge to work—skills in concert, with a minimum of noise
work. When I read or hear accounts of sailors who and motion. There was no opportunity to take stock
have pulled the fat out of notably fierce fires, these and plan a formal procedure, and given the crew’s
attributes are usually evident; in accounts of fiascoes familiarity with the boat and each other, none was
they are likely absent. In my own small brushes with needed. Elissa got home safely with temporary gear
misfortune, luck has made a difference more often guying and supporting its injured jibboom.
than I’d care to admit, but basic precautions backed
up by odd inspirations usually saved the day.
In an era when pleasure craft have gained Chain Repair
aerodynamic efficiency at the expense of systems
redundancy, the crew’s skills at keeping things Join a broken chain by bolting a set of linkplates to
the chain ends. Use the largest, shortest bolts that
working can be severely taxed by incidents that, will fit.
on “old-fashioned” craft, would be inconveniences,

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