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Potential Hurricane 🌀 Incoming! Is Our Mast Ready? | Critical Boat Checks | Sailing Zephyr - Ep. 249

9 August 2024 · 23 min · 3K views · The Abacos

What this video covers

To prepare for a potential hurricane in the Abacos, the crew of the 40-foot sailboat Zephyr performs a comprehensive rigging inspection and sanitizes the vessel's water system. They treat the water tanks with bleach at a ratio of one quart per 50 gallons, cycling the solution through all lines and allowing it to sit for 24 hours to eliminate odors.3:26 For the rigging inspection, the owner ascends the mast in a bosun's chair to examine the VHF antenna, wind transducer, Windex, and standing rigging connections.9:27 He specifically checks for broken wire strands, bulging at the swages, and missing cotter pins on the backstays, cap shrouds, and forestay.12:25 He also inspects the mast's mid-section splice, which is secured with rivets and screws, and verifies the integrity of deck-level hardware including the gooseneck, boom vang, and mainsheet connections.18:49 The crew confirms the boat is fueled and provisioned, with plans to stow the Highfield tender on the davits to ensure readiness for a rapid departure.22:58 Regular visual inspections of rigging components prevent catastrophic mast failure caused by loose tension or missing pins.

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