Ready to Re-Step Our Mast… Then It All Fell Apart Episode 63
After more than a year with our mast down, we’re finally pushing hard toward re-stepping — or so we thought.
In this episode, we dive back into the final stages of our complete mast rebuild, a project that has included stripping the old paint, full rewiring, new clutches, new lights, and cleaning and servicing every single piece of hardware. This week was all about getting the mast as close to ready as possible for crane day.
We wire the masthead VHF antenna, anchor light, and weather instrument, then tackle one of the most challenging parts of mast work: running lines internally. To get past the obstacles inside the mast, we break out an RC car to help pull messenger lines through — an unconventional solution that actually works.
From there, we reassemble the furler, reinstall the spreaders, wire in the spreader lights, and hang the standing rigging back in place. Everything is coming together — except the final step. We can’t secure the lower ends of the standing rigging yet because we’re still waiting on our new turnbuckles.
Then comes the gut punch.
Two days before our scheduled crane appointment, the turnbuckles finally arrive… and they’re wrong. The threads are too large, they won’t fit, and there’s no workaround. The crane is canceled. The re-step is postponed. And after a year of work, we’re absolutely crushed.
This is the reality of long refits — progress, momentum, and sometimes heartbreaking setbacks right at the finish line. If you’ve rebuilt a mast, dealt with rigging delays, or lived through parts arriving almost right, you’ll understand this one.
Thanks for following along as we keep pushing forward. We’ll get there — even if it takes a little longer than planned.
Here's an index of the video in case you want to see something specific:
00:00 Welcome back to mast prep
00:47 Channel intro
01:04 Running lines into the mast
08:54 Wiring the mast head equipment
14:29 Installing and wiring spreaders
18:14 Installing mast winch
23:33 Assemble furler and forestay
26:59 Standing rigging
28:20 Turnbuckles
29:59 Like, Subscribe, and leave an emoji
30:21 End card
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WE'RE GERI AND SHAWN. A couple travelers out chasing the horizon, meeting the people, and capturing it to share with you.
We’ve chosen to Roam the world by boat because, let’s face it, the most interesting path is rarely a straight line.
As we learn to let go of our American drive to finish, and embrace the meandering routes across islands, oceans, continents, and people, we hope to gain a better sense of our world and our place in it.
The path won’t always be comfortable or easy to find but, it will always #roam
#SailingLife #BoatRefit #SailboatMaintenance #CruisingLife #Rigging #MastWork #DIYBoatProjects #SailingCouple #SailboatRestoration #LiveaboardLife
© Sailing Roam 2025
Sailing Roam
👋 Hi, we’re Geri 👩🏻⚕️(a retired nurse) and Shawn 🤓 (a not retired technologist). We’ve gone on the greatest adventure of our lives instead of living the comfortable and predictable suburban world we left behind. Living aboard Roam, our cruising catamaran, we explore and immerse ourselves in new cultures, do boat repairs in exotic places, and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. Roam isn’t just the name of our boat, it’s kind of a philosophy. We’re not taking the shortest routes or using a formula to sail around the world. We’re not in a hurry either. We’re meeting the people, seeing the places and getting distracted by things we find interesting along the way. We’re unconventional and we’re living the best life we can imagine! Join us as we turn our 11-year old catamaran into our perfect adventure platform and see what’s over the next horizon. We can’t wait to meet you wherever you are! Clamptite Tools link: https://clamptitetools.com/?sld=syroam 10% discount: gerischaffer10
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