Up Goes The Mast ~ Finally

So, the pace has not slowed one bit since TTR was put in the water!

After waiting several days for the port of LA to have room to unload the ship carrying Ticket to Ride, we had to wait four more days to have the mast raised on our boat. The crane operators at the yard next to the marina do not work in the rain, so we waited and waited for the rain to stop.

We were not idle as Chris (of HH), Scott (of Rigging Projects) and Francois (of Pochon) worked on various items around the boat preparing for the mast stepping, setting up electronics, instructing us about the boat, etc.

The mast on the HH55 is different from many sailboats in that the shrouds and stays are prefabricated from carbon fiber strands and are a fixed length.  The mast is actually on a hydraulic lift and its’ height is adjusted to make the tension of the rigging correct.

Here are a few photos from the day we stepped the mast on TTR:

Chris attaching the crane to the mast.

Lift off from the cradle.

Swinging the mast over to land so lines and electronics can be sorted out.

Lauren and Scott guiding the mast onto the stands.

Once the mast was on the stands, Scott and Chris worked on the lines and attachments while Francois worked on the electronics on the mast (radar, antennae, etc). Lauren and I waxed the mast since this is the most accessible it will be for quite a while.  I know, kinda strange to wax a brand new mast, but one last coat might help protect it and keep it shining.

After all of the electrical conduit, halyards, etc were run, reviewed and settled, it was time to lift the mast and actually put it up on TTR.

The first crane was adequate for moving the mast to shore, but it was not tall enough to easily lift this 80 foot mast into proper position so a bigger crane was brought to the yard.

Raising the mast again to move it back onto TTR.

Frank, Gio and Lauren have guidelines attached to spreaders to help orient the mast.

The taller crane allowed the mast to be completely upright while moving.

Francois is in the hatch to guide electronics wires downward.

Scott and Chris preparing the jack and shims for the mast.

Scott attaching the second shroud.

Chris attaching the forestay and third point of balance for the mast.

Checking the pressure and shims before the mast is finally lowered into place.

Still in the yard, Scott goes up the mast to check out the rigging.

In this picture you can see that the boom has not yet been attached. That was done the following morning while I was away so I don’t have pictures. But I can tell you that a bridle was made using the topping lift.  The bridle was attached to the center of the boom and used to lift the boom so it could be attached to the gooseneck.

The boom is on, mainsail attached and Scott is checking things out again.

After running a few errands, it was very exciting to come back to the dock and see Ticket to Ride dressed with a mast, boom and mainsail!

We were very fortunate because although there was some rain, the next couple of days the winds cooperated well and allowed us to progressively test TTR and the rigging.  Our first day out was fairly mild and was used to make sure all the lines were running properly, the rigging was well tuned, the reefs and all the sails were working well.

Of course we let the professionals take the lead and Chris, Scott, Gino, Erik, Mark, Gio, Lauren et al took the reins.  Every sail configuration was tried a few times.  This crew was accustomed to working together and the sails were raised and dropped, adjusted and reefed, tweaked and tested more quickly than seemed possible.

By the third day of sea trials, the wind had filled in and we had TTR stretching out like a race horse in the home stretch.  We saw a top speed of 24.7 knots speed over ground!

Kind of long, but skipping the hull on TTR.

The boat feels surprisingly stable even at high speeds!  When we were skipping the hull and on the verge of flying it, Ticket to Ride felt secure and solid.  But I was very glad the pros had the reins and knew how to immediately de-power if necessary.

With sea trials over, it’s time for Frank and me to learn how to sail TTR without extra hands on board.  HH understands that this type of performance sailboat takes some learning and they allow Chris and Lauren to stick around to take care of issues that arise and to teach us about our sailboat.

Having Lauren and Chris with us for a little while has been invaluable! In addition to being good company, they are patient and excellent teachers.  We are truly fortunate that HH provides this service and that Chris and Lauren are so talented!

Thanks for reading our blog. It has really been busy on TTR and I have not had time to write, so if you are interested, please look at our FB page for more regular postings.