[C320-list] Oops! There goes the forestay

[Jack Brennan]

Re-reading my original post, I need to make one correction. The toggle is between the chainplate and the forestay, not the turnbuckle.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
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From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> on behalf of Jack Brennan via C320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2024 3:50 PM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
Cc: Jack Brennan <jackbrennan333 at outlook.com>
Subject: [C320-list] Oops! There goes the forestay

Just a quick recounting of a problem I had recently that might help someone else:

I was sailing about 10 days ago in 20-plus-knot winds, jib only, when suddenly I heard a big boom. At first, I thought maybe I had absent-mindedly hit a channel marker. Then I saw the forestay with furler swinging through the air.

Somehow, I got the spare halyard rigged as a brace before the mast came down. (Thanks to Catalina for three shrouds on each side!) Then I pulled in the sail and secured the furler before I made a slow, careful motor through choppy seas back to my slip.

What broke was a heavy-duty toggle (I think that's what it's called) at the bottom of the furler that connects the forestay to the turnbuckle. It's hidden by the furling drum, so you can't casually inspect it.

>From the looks of it, it had crevice corrosion and had been working itself toward a massive failure for a couple of years. I had the boat rerigged six years ago, so it was fine then, but it was the original toggle, I believe.

The rigger who fixed it told me that he has seen plenty of these toggles break over the years when they get old, so it might be worth a look sometime to prevent a disaster. From what I could tell, you loosen the drum and pull it up to get a look at the toggle.

I'm really glad it happened in Tampa Bay, a couple of miles from the marina, instead of when I'm 30 miles offshore coming home from Key West.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.