The mast came off with the crane. The boom nearly fell off with it! Well not quite, but while underway from Tonga, I had reinforced the boom with Dyneema ropes and strapping material. When I finally unlashed everything, it became clear to me that I had made the right decision to go overboard (not literally) on lashing the boom to the mast.
During the inspection, I also discovered that four strands were broken off, on the starboard lower shrouds. It turned out to be a very good decision to unstep the mast and take a closer look at everything. While inspecting the mast and the fastenings securing the boom, I found that 75% of the machine screws had broken off! I suspected this while underway.
Independent Riggers, a large rigging company based in Auckland, will take care of the re-rigging and re-stepping of the mast once John, a specialist in Schaefer furling booms, has finished refurbishing the boom.
With all that underway, I jumped on a flight in Auckland and headed to Queenstown to pick up my new camper van!
I’m now enjoying a change of pace and embracing van life, making my way north along the spectacular West Coast before catching the ferry back to the North Island.
A few unexpected twists and turns, but the adventure continues!
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