Skip Novak, Ullman Sails Brand Ambassador

It is common practice to do a rig check before setting sail on a passage. This is entirely malpractice. Rather, the rig check should be done immediately upon completion of your last passage. It is often hard to muster the energy to immediately go aloft, not least of all convincing what might be an exhausted crew to grind you up there. It is vital though to know what if anything is wrong, so you have time to rectify it. This usually means replacing parts or possibly fabricating a bracket from scratch.

I start the detailed inspection at the top, but on the way up, (which is always slow) I am on the look out for any obvious problems. This is a good time to check the mainsail track in its entirety for wear on the anodizing, which could mean a change of ball bearings on the mainsail cars is required. Once at the top, check over clevis and split pins, make sure the halyard sheaves turn freely and are ‘in the round’ (you will have to clip your safety line on the mast crane to relieve the halyard you are on). Check the Windex, mast head light bracket, VHF antenna for signs of corrosion and that the wind instruments are secure and turning freely.

On the way down, clip your safety line (single short tether with a carabineer) on to fittings and around spreaders to give you an extra piece of mind while your crew stands by on the winch. You need to be comfortable to concentrate and study everything in detail, possibly using a magnifying glass to look for cracks in rigging terminals and spreader brackets. Pump each set of spreaders fore and aft to make sure they feel the same and stable. Take a mini notebook and pencil to record anything that looks out of place or in need of attention and a phone to take photographs. And don’t neglect lifting up every shroud cover to check all the fittings at the deck level. When down, enter all this into the logbook and put the items (there is always something wrong if you look close enough) on the work list. Lastly when the sun goes down, check your mast lights – changing a bulb at sea is never easy.