How to avoid dismasting your sailboat⚓🚢 #sailboat #sailing
6 July 2025 · 5 min · 377 views · Lake Garda
What this video covers
Mast loss from a failed shroud or forestay pin is the focus of this pre-sail safety check on Lake Garda.▶ 0:13 Maurizio, sailing a Comet 770, demonstrates how a missing cotter pin at a chainplate allows the shroud pin to work free — most likely when the jib sheet snags the clip as it passes the chainplate.▶ 1:42 On the leeward side, where the shroud loses tension, the pin can slip out entirely; when the boat tacks, the rig loses support and dismasting becomes a real risk.▶ 2:46 He shows a chainplate where the cotter pin has already fallen out and replaces it by hand.▶ 1:42 His fix: wrap the chainplates in protective covers so the jib sheet cannot catch and pull the cotter pins free.▶ 2:33 He also checks the forestay attachment and the backstay, finding one cotter pin worn enough to need replacement.▶ 3:21 The pre-departure checklist he recommends covers all shrouds, forestay, and backstay fittings — specifically confirming every cotter pin is seated and undamaged.▶ 4:23 Wrapping chainplates eliminates the most common cause of cotter-pin loss on boats where sheets run close to the standing rigging.
Boats in this video
More from Maurizio and the sail
From Maurizio and the sail — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.