Performance Rigging in Yachting World

Matthew Sheahan from Yachting World interviews Gordon on his rules on how to keep safe while going aloft.

Gordons Golden Rules:

• Always secure yourself  to the harness or bosuns chair with a bowline, never trust a snapshackle.
• Always use an internal halyard. Avoid using a 2:1 halyard, if you have to, only use the 1:1 part of the halyard
• Always make a thorough check of the equipment you are about to use – check the halyard for wear, check the winch, clutch and the lead of the halyard
• Decide how you are going to communicate & what hand signals you will use
• Climb the standing rigging not the mast
• Never use a self tailer on an electric winch
• Always tie the halyard off with a man up the rig, never rely on the self tailer or clutch
• When lowering always pay out the rope  hand over hand without too many turns on the winch
• Keep an eye on the winch as well as the person aloft

To read the full article see the May 2011 edition of Yachting World.