Thanks to Hurricane Isabel, my wife and I had to develop an easy, safe way to get the mast up and down. We raised the stick the day after Isabelle passed in about a 15-knot cross wind (on the hard). This is lengthy, but God, do I wish we'd done it like this before. There are some lessons learned nested here. The biggest help was developing a way to crank the base into place and using the topping lift, not a jib halyard to raise it (this greatly improves the angle and makes it much easier to winch up). Here's our system for raising. Lowering is basically just the opposite:

1.) Preparation. Take everything off of the back edge of the mast. Vang brackets, instrument brackets, etc. Leaving them on is a good way to punch a hole in the cabin top. Also, I only put the uppers and intermediate shrouds on. The aft and in-line lowers just get in the way and you can shimy up the mast easily and put them in when it's up. The mast should be lying with the base forward and the forward edge up. Now mount a small block to the stainless steel bale at the forstay and one to the toerail, just aft of the first staunchion. Run a strong, long line (we use a spin sheet) from one winch and through both blocks. This is the line you'll use to hoist up the mast. More on it later. Now run the topping lift shackle up almost all of the way to the sheave and cleat or tie it off securely on the mast.

2.) More preparation. Tape the goosneck fitting to one side of the mast so it won't flop around. Tape all of the blocks at the mast partner up against the mast (or take them off). Except for two. For this method, you need two blocks at the forward corners of the partner that you can run a line through, around the forward edge of the mast and back along the deck to a winch. We use the foreguy blocks. The intent is to use this line to pull the base down to the mount. Do do this, you'll also want to put the jib lead blocks on their tracks just aft of the base plate. More on it later.

3.) Close the cabin top and lock it. You don't want it sliding around since you'll be stepping on it. Finally, tie a line in between the aft staunchions, if there isn't one there already. You'll rest the mast on this before the hoist.

4.) Tie two large boat fenders to the back edge of the mast, the first one about 12 inches above the goose neck, the next just above it. They should be oriented with their long axis' perpendicular to the mast. Now, with one person at the base of the mast and one in the cockpit, scoot the mast back until the base is more or less above the base plate. The lower fender should end up just forward of the sliding cabin top.

5.) The person at the base now ties a bowline around one of the jib leads and leads the line up through the blocks at the base of the mast, around the front of the mast, back through the other jib lead and then back to the free winch. Just keep it snug for a minute.

6.) Take the "hoisting line" and tie it to the topping lift.

7.) Loosen the upper and intermediate shrouds as far as they will go and connect them to the chain plates. Connect the backstay and let it hang over the stern. Make sure it is loose.

8. ) Using the line around the front of the mast, the person in the cockpit now cranks the base of the mast down to the base plate as much as possible while the person at the base re-centers it from time to time. The top of the mast should be lifting off of the aft staunchion. You'll get to a point where the mast will be squeezing the daylights out of the fenders and the mast is almost touching the cabin top. The rest you have to do the hard way. Cleat off the base line, go to the back of the cockpit and lift the mast with your shoulder, stepping up onto the seats as you do. This should bring the base down to the base plate. The person at the base now guides the person with the mast on their shoulder as to the angle of the mast (side to side, up and down, twist) until they can get the pin in (they'll probably need a hammer, but a small rubber mallet is best). Believe it or not, the hard part is over.

9.) Once the pin is made, the person at the base moves to the winch with the hoisting line and cranks as the person in the cockpit walks the mast up. The person walking it up should be trying to keep the thing from wiggling too much. This can damage the pin and/or the base plates.

10.) Once the mast is up, the person at the mast runs up, attaches the forestay and that's it. Give the backstay a little tension, connect the lower shrouds, tune, pin everything, wrap in tons of rigging tape and then look up the mast and say "Oh, crap...we forgot the windex."

Hope this helps. Where will you be racing PHRF? Quantum sails in Annapolis has been a big help to me in getting the boat going. Good luck!!

:: Having bought an express 27 I need all the information I
:: can get. I understand that 2 people can step the mast,
:: what is the proper procedure? Also who seems to be
:: making the fastest sails for phrf?