The Mast, revisited…

After hundreds of back and forth over what we should do – do we get the mast, do we not – we have decided to wait a year.  The mast in RI is in great shape and the M’s are offering a great deal however, the deal isn’t exactly cheap when you factor in transportation costs, the mainsail, modifying our boom to be able to work with the new mast, reconditioning the boom (may as well when its being modified), destepping/stepping the mast, and installing an additional winch.  This change would not be inexpensive by any means.  All those costs, on top of the money currently and unexpectedly being shelled out on a rental property J still owns in Pensacola, FL (he secretly hopes for a well-placed and freakishly isolated tornado), make the new-to-us mast not very feasible at this time.

While we have reservations about taking an in-mast furling mainsail offshore, we haven’t even given it a chance yet. While we had sailed Knotty (with a Selden in-mast furler) without so much as a hiccup, we’ve sailed Tango (with an older Forespar in-mast furler) only once and feel it is a bit impulsive if we jump into this without at least giving it a try.  After all, Tango has had this mast for 17yrs and she’s been across the pond and back at least once, that we know of, so it can’t be all bad. Plus, many boats nowadays do offshore work with in mast furlers, including S/V Bright Angel, one of Tango’s sister ships that is currently cruising the South Pacific with in-mast furling.  Seems silly to make such an investment at a time when the kitty is being depleted and in something that we may not need.

We have other projects that require the savings that we are certain we want to do with Tango, such as a new composting toilet and a Monitor wind vane – both of which we are planning to purchase at this year’s United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis.  So after much discussion and loss of sleep (more for J) we are going to wait until at least next season to determine if the in-mast furling is staying or going.  This should give us some time to get to know Tango a bit better, do some fall sailing in the Bay and hopefully some offshore cruising in the spring to get more comfortable with all her systems, but especially the anxiety inducing furling mainsail.  Maybe a small investment in replacing worn sheaves and bearings, instead of the larger one required replacing the mast, and some quality time with her out on the water will eliminate our hesitation and fears of taking her offshore with her current mast. More to follow…