Ready to Re-Step Our Mast… Then It All Fell Apart Episode 63

After more than a year with our mast down, we’re finally pushing hard toward re-stepping — or so we thought. In this episode, we dive back into the final stages of our complete mast rebuild, a project that has included stripping the old paint, full rewiring, new clutches, new lights, and cleaning and servicing every single piece of hardware. This week was all about getting the mast as close to ready as possible for crane day. We wire the masthead VHF antenna, anchor light, and weather instrument, then tackle one of the most challenging parts of mast work: running lines internally. To get past the obstacles inside the mast, we break out an RC car to help pull messenger lines through — an unconventional solution that actually works. From there, we reassemble the furler, reinstall the spreaders, wire in the spreader lights, and hang the standing rigging back in place. Everything is coming together — except the final step. We can’t secure the lower ends of the standing rigging yet because we’re still waiting on our new turnbuckles. Then comes the gut punch. Two days before our scheduled crane appointment, the turnbuckles finally arrive… and they’re wrong. The threads are too large, they won’t fit, and there’s no workaround. The crane is canceled. The re-step is postponed. And after a year of work, we’re absolutely crushed. This is the reality of long refits — progress, momentum, and sometimes heartbreaking setbacks right at the finish line. If you’ve rebuilt a mast, dealt with rigging delays, or lived through parts arriving almost right, you’ll understand this one. Thanks for following along as we keep pushing forward. We’ll get there — even if it takes a little longer than planned. ☝More about us, our adventures, and how we do all this on our website. More about Roam here ⛵️https://sailingroam.com/our-sailboat/ 📲 Keep up with us on social FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/sgsailingroam INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/sailing_roam ----------------------------------------------------------- WE'RE GERI AND SHAWN. A couple travelers out chasing the horizon, meeting the people, and capturing it to share with you. We’ve chosen to Roam the world by boat because, let’s face it, the most interesting path is rarely a straight line. As we learn to let go of our American drive to finish, and embrace the meandering routes across islands, oceans, continents, and people, we hope to gain a better sense of our world and our place in it. The path won’t always be comfortable or easy to find but, it will always #roamntic_whatsapp_status Here's an index of the video in case you want to see something specific: 00:00 Welcome back to mast prep 00:47 Channel intro 01:04 Running lines into the mast 08:54 Wiring the mast head equipment 14:29 Installing and wiring spreaders 18:14 Installing mast winch 23:33 Assemble furler and forestay 26:59 Standing rigging 28:20 Turnbuckles 29:59 Like, Subscribe, and leave an emoji 30:21 End card #SailingLife #BoatRefit #SailboatMaintenance #CruisingLife #Rigging #MastWork #DIYBoatProjects #SailingCouple #SailboatRestoration #LiveaboardLife © Sailing Roam 2025