The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

Raising Chip Ahoy's Mast for the 2009 Season
Tuesday, April 14th

When I looked out my bedroom window this morning, "Slick" the neighbor's cat was sitting out in Chip Ahoy's cockpit, waiting for the action to begin.  (Apr. 14)

He must have known that today we planned to raise the mast. The crew arrived at 10:30, and Barbara came out to be official photographer again.

Michael Sullivan of Haverhill, former owner of Carpe Diem, which belonged to Wally before I bought it from him then sold it to Michael.

Wally Riddle of Nahant, a longtime friend who towed Chip Ahoy up to Maine and back for my 2005 cruise.

Yours truly, attaching the backstay.

The first thing we needed to do was flip the mast. The boatyard laid it completely bass-ackward and upside down last fall.

We lifted it off . . .

. . . carried it out into the lot . . .

. . . turned it around and flipped it over . . .

. . . then carried it back, like some sort of tribal ritual, as Barbara described it -- all we needed was an antelope hanging beneath it!

Then it went back up on the mast crutch.

Still sore from my surgery, I handled the light-duty work.

It's good to have able and willing friends!

Just need to get that end up on the bow pulpit.

Okay, with the turn-around and flip done we can start at the beginning to raise the mast.

Getting all the shrouds, stays, and lines unwrapped, untangled and ready.

Yours truly attaching the pull line shackle to the roller-furler.

Alright, we're ready to go.

Moving the mast back to its step plate.

Pinning the base of the mast to its step plate.

The Hauser Pin makes it easier than the stock threaded bolt, but lining up the holes and getting the pin through against the weight and twist of the mast is still a challenge.

The mast is pinned, we're ready to go.

I guided the roller-furler drum over the bow pulpit as up it goes . . .

. . . with Michael on the roller-furler forestay pull line.

The mast is up. All that remains is to shackle the roller-furler forestay to the stem fitting.

Barbara the official photographer called this our "Iwo Jima moment"!

Mission accomplished. Next I'll move on to replacing the boom and other projects.