Every situation is different, and each dismasting deserves a careful, methodical thought process to disassemble and secure the pieces. Only do one thing at a time, and confirmthat you have not made matters worse before you begin the next step.We can separate the mess you will find on the deck into two basic categories – standingrigging (stuff that holds the mast up), and running rigging (stuff that controls the sails).Standing rigging is generally 1x19 stainless steel wire, which is relatively stiff and hardto cut, or it might even be solid rod rigging, which is a real pain in the neck.Running rigging is predominately cordage, (rope) that is easily cut with a knife. There aretwo exceptions; the first being wire halyards, usually a soft, flexible wire rope like 7x19,and the second being some of the new high-tech ropes. Both of those can be cut with asmall pair of Felco brand wire cutters.In most cases, your plan will begin with retrieving the sails by removing the mainsailfrom the mast and boom, and the jib from the forestay (assuming it was flying before thedismasting.) If you are lucky, you may be able to simply release (or cut) the halyards and pull the sails on deck. If you are not that lucky, perhaps you can cut the internal halyardswhere they are exposed by a broken section of the mast. Other solutions might includesending a diver down to the masthead to disconnect or cut the halyards. As a last resort, just cut all the sail material away in sections. Keep in mind that a large mainsail can beworth tens of thousands of dollars, so retrieving it undamaged may be worth an extraeffort.Getting the sails off the spars and secured might include cutting some lines, but sheets,outhauls, topping lifts and halyards are completely expendable under the circumstances,so cut them if you need to. Don’t cut any line that is under tension or taught until you aresure exactly what is putting it under stress.At some point, you may have to face a decision about what to save and what to jettison tothe deep. There are many factors one might consider, but in general, the quicker the rig isfree and either secured or gone, the less risk there will be. However, the value of some of the rigging parts, especially rod rigging and roller furling, can be significant. If circumstances allow, both the owner and the insurance company will appreciate efforts tosave what you can.There is one common piece of equipment that is most annoying to deal with, and that isthe roller furling system for the jib, which usually is integral to the forestay.Roller furling allows the jib to be rolled around the forestay using control lines that leadto the cockpit. Large drums, massive swivels and sections of aluminum-extruded track are all assembled around the wire forestay, and access to the bottom of the forestay isusually hindered by the drum and/or twisted pieces of sail track. Disconnecting theforestay requires removal of a large clevis pin located under the furling drum. (see photo)
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