One of the first things that new neighbors said when we arrived two summers ago was where’s your topping lift? Uh…what? So much to learn… A topping lift is a line that runs from the top of the mast to the back of the boom so it doesn’t crash down on the heads of sailors. We don’t have one.
Though we don’t have a topping lift we do have a rigid boom vang. This is a support/lifting arm that makes a triangle between the mast and the boom.
And this means that our boom isn’t going to come crashing down on our heads either. So that’s good, at least.
Peter decided to climb the mast to find out if maybe the topping lift was just stuck somewhere up there. It wasn’t.
However, he was able to utilize the marvelous mast steps the original owners had installed. As far as I know we are the only boat in this marina with steps to the top of the mast.
He’s climbed the mast once since then to untangle the port and starboard halyards that were mis-rigged. Both times there were people stronger than me to catch the safety line if he fell. Not that he would.
Someday my turn will come to climb 55’ in the air. Not today, though. Today it’s too windy and tomorrow doesn’t look so good either.
