Taking your Cal-25 mast down

This posting is the result of a couple emails exchanged with a new sailor to the Cal-25 and about taking down the mast. There might be better ways or slight improvements to this one posted but this is how I do it. Please leave your comments at the bottom of this post for improving this method…

Before taking your mast down

1. Take plenty of pictures and/or notes of the existing mast and running rigging so you will know how to re-rig everything for next year.
2. De-rig everything leaving only the forestay, backstay and side stays attached.
3. It’s a good idea to wrap your halyards and etc around the mast cleanly as to reduce any clutter that might remain.
4. Have three people to assist.
   • One person to work the hoist.
   • One person to hold the mast in column.
   • One person to pull ring-dings and cotter pins.

Taking your mast down

1. Start with a line that is about 4 – 5’ in length and tie a bowline around the mast tight enough that you can get two or three fingers inside the knot.  This knot needs to slide up on the mast when the hoist is used.
2. Tie another bowline at the end of that line with the knot opening for the hoist hook to attach.
3. Tie another ~20’  line around the first bowline on the mast.  This line will be used to retrieve the 4 – 5 ‘ line in case something goes wrong and you need to start again.  Sometimes the line can get pinched between the mast and where the lowers attached to the mid-section of the mast.
4. Line up your boat and hoist so that when you hook up the bowline and hoist hook the mast will be pulled straight up.
5. Raise the hoist/hook to where there is very little tension pulling the mast up.  You want the least amount of tension so that you can detach your shrouds.
6. Remove the lowers.
7. Remove your back stay .
8. Remove your forestay.
9. Remove the uppers.  Now the mast is free and only supported by the hoist and the mast man.
10. Raise the mast enough to clear the mast partner.
11. Lower the mast into the supports for winter storage.
12. Tidy up the shrouds and make ready for winter storage.