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Loopers pose for a photo at a recent Fall AGLCA rendezvous held
just off the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Waterway in Rogersville, AL, at
Joe Wheeler State Park.
loopers. After motoring into Joe Wheeler Marina for the rendezvous,
Bob and Donnell from Grand Haven, MI, spoke
with us about their mast, or lack of one, and how they have
managed throughout their time on the loop.
Because these sailors are members of AGLCA and participate
in the daily digest web forum, they were well aware
of the need to step their mast to complete the next leg of the
loop. They decided to have the mast trucked to a destination
further south. I asked why truck instead of carrying the mast
in an X frame on deck. They chuckled and said their mast
height is 62 feet above the water, is keel-stepped and may be
65 feet or longer. That would cause a lengthy overhang on
both the bow and stern of their 44-foot sailboat, over 10 feet
at each end of the boat! Keep in mind that a mast in a frame
will come straight down the center of the boat, across the
cabin and cockpit, making helm duty more fun than usual. So
Bob and Donnell coordinated with nine other members of
AGLCA through email and telephone and agreed to be a part
of a group pricing to remove and truck their masts.
Throughout the first third of their loop, they have met or spoken
with over 20 other sailboats looping who agree; shipping
their mast is the best method of dealing with the low bridges,
locks and marinas. So before heading to Chicago, they met
the other sailors in Holland, MI, to remove their mast and
poof! They’re a flotilla of low-profile powerboats.
Of course, I asked how many boat units are needed to
accomplish this surgery of sorts. The large group of nine
boats sharing in the expenses of the truck reduced that fee
significantly. Their boatyard expense was also lessened
because Bob and Donnell were comfortable disconnecting
all the electrical connections, saving in that labor cost. The
boatyard price to remove the mast and load onto the truck
was about $450 and their partial expense of the truck transportation
was $420 to Mobile, AL. Add the cost of a boatyard
in Mobile to step the mast, and Bob and Donnell plan
to tune the rigging themselves.
What about the running lights, radio antenna and
anchor light once the mast is gone Simple cruiser engineering
provided a cabin mounted VHF antenna while the
masthead and anchor light now reside atop a PVC pipe
mast. The radar was kept aboard to protect it instead of
trucking it on the mast and risking damage along the way.
So, without a mast they now have a sleek low-profile
trawler that can ease under almost any bridge without
radioing for an opening. They rely purely on their single
diesel engine for propulsion. Their Island Packet has tankage
for 250 gallons of water and 160 gallons of diesel. Their
See us at the
Miami Strictly
Sail Boat Show
34 January 2013 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com