More Mast Maintenance

The future is so bright I think I need shades! 

Maybe it's the sunny balmy weather we're having that's making me feel rejuvenated and all gung-ho.

I've reached a personal victory - I no longer agonize about painting Jakatar's mast. I'm like the hipsters living between Queen Street and College Street, Toronto, who let their lawns grow wild. But I don't feel hip, I simply don't care. 

I care about the mast's integrity, about having a safe comfortable boat, about enjoying life...but not about whether the mast looks perfect. I don't look perfect, not by a long shot, so why would I worry about the mast? Better stop before I start a new religion.

Made it to the first spreader...looking like I'm afraid of heights. But, in fact, I'm only afraid of falling. The line tied to a halyard near my right arm is attached to a harness. It slides up and down and would prevent a free fall.

I got as far as standing on the spreaders to scrape as far as I could reach. Three more trips up the mast should do it for this year. I also want to place boots on the upper spreaders and install a deck light to replace the one that fell off years ago. I've had the spreader boots and deck light in a box for years, it's about time I got the tomatos to start going aloft.

My plan is to give the mast a yearly scrape until it's bare aluminum again and then maybe coat it with Nyalic http://www.nyalic.com/marine/.

The topclimber comes with a nice tool bag that also advertises their kit because everybody loves to gawk at a mast climber. I got giddy from all the admiration from at least 3 or 4 onlookers.

I'm only one third up. I can hardly wait for the view from the top.

While scraping away, I looked up and thought, "shit, that's gonna be really high at the top." Then, on second thought, "hahaha, it makes no difference, either way it would be "splat and goodbye."

So, if this blog isn't updated in the future, send flowers.