Esper Refit 02 - mast removal; rewiring plans; stripping engine

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Week Two of Esper’s refit has progressed nicely. The pace has been maintained and this week we concentrated on the removal of both the mizzen and the main masts. We also had the electrician, the mechanic and the plumber on board to discuss a number of projects.

Mast Removal

The biggest event this week was the removal of the two masts. We had to pre-book the crane so it was paramount that we disconnected all electrical cables from the base of the masts. The mizzen is deck-stepped (as in it stops at the deck) but the main is through-hull, so getting to those cables involved pulling up floor boards and rummaging through dirty bilges.

Un, our project manager, coordinated the removal. He used the two carpenters, Ton and Tui, and Lek, the Burmese lad who has been grinding our hull.

The first task was to send Lek up the mizzen to undo the triatic, which is the cable that connects the main to the mizzen. Fortunately Lek is a young whippersnapper so winching him was quite easy! After this the crane was then able to hoist him up again to put a slip around the mizzen, connected to large hooks at the end of the crane.

The mizzen was fairly straightforward and easy to drop into a horizontal position on two oil drums.

The main was a little more problematic, but only because two rubber wedges, used to hold the mast in position when upright, had to be removed. I don’t think they’d moved for twenty years so getting them out took about 15 minutes.

Once removed the crane hoisted the main whilst Ton stayed down below to ensure the cables came out ok.

The two masts were then masterfully positioned at the back of the yard by a crane operator who deserves some recognition for his deftness behind the joystick. Moving a 20m metal stick in between parked boats was no mean feat.

Mast Removal In Glorious High Def!

For those who have never seen this kind of operation before, we’ve put together a short clip complete with commentary. It includes clips of both the main and the mizzen but put together in a logic order so you get a feel for the complexity of the task.

This clip accompanies our blog post on Esper’s refit, and is a summary for Week Two’s progress. You can sign up to followtheboat updates here: http://eepurl.com/B9Ykn