When two of the three crew suffer from sever acrophobia, there’s no question who will be charged with climbing the mast for any repairs. Meet the boson chair—a sling that you sit in, securely affixed to the halyard, and raised up the mast by the two acrophobiacs.
Yesterday, the drone provided a good view of the top of the mast to confirm the broken antennae swinging around needed its bolt repaired. So this morning, when winds typically are friendlier for mast ascents and I confirmed that just a simple wrench was required for the job, I became a boson. I made sure that plenty of fancy knots were used to cinch me to the chair as I was hoisted 70 feet into the air. I don’t have any fear of heights; in fact I rather enjoy the thrill and always the view. Today, the climb afforded me a spectacular aerial view of the boat and ocean bottom in these crystal clear Caribbean waters. But I digress. I’m on a mission so I stayed focused on the task at hand. I wrapped my legs around the various wires and mast as Allen hoisted me to the top. Once at the top, the repair was pretty straight-forward and my fun ended far too soon as I was returned to the planet.
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