Last week we had to lower the mast while motoring going under a bridge on the lake. Twice. There and back. Knew we had to and planned accordingly. Attached MRS, checked again, and then checked again to make sure all connections were good. As the admiral was to be at the helm had her briefed as to where to be in the cockpit while I was on deck using the MRS. If the mast were to come down she was positioned in a manner that would keep her from getting hit by the mast. We both had on self inflating vests. Winds were gusting good enough to heel us to 15 degrees more than once on open water portion of the lake. Bare poles. Thankfully the bridge was in the lee of the north shoreline where we were passing. Minimal wind and no chop. Went off without a hitch. Except for the police boat racing towards us on the return leg. Thought someone must have called to say there was a sailboat getting ready to hit the bridge. They waved as we went under with no problems and continued on to wherever they were going.
We did this because future plans will have us in places where we will need to lower the mast a bit to get under bridges. There may not be a dock where we will be able to lower and raise the mast on both sides of the bridge. The bit of wind we caught while underway with the mast about 1/3 lowered was met with my braced body to push the mast with the wind. Standing with my back to wind and wife on the opposite side of aft mast support. I understand the falling tree theory but if well planned you can lay a tree wherever you want. (Keeping in mind that there is a clear path to run the other way if it is necessary. Plan A, Plan B, Plan ohhhh crap ......)
We've taken advantage of our ability to lower the mast while out on the water on a number of occasions. As Nauti Nell explains, it's a maneuver not to be undertaken lightly. Lots can go wrong when the rig is unpinned and sticking way out in back. However, we've managed to pull it off without mishap. We've done it a few times when returning through the Ballard Locks on Puget Sound, when trying to get back to the boat launch ramp on Lake Washington. By lowering the mast while underway, we're spared the necessity of having to wait for a bridge opening at the one bridge which is too low to pass beneath with mast up. We also lowered our mast while in the Bahamas so that we could cross from the north side of Grand Bahama Island to the south side, via the Grand Bahama Canal. There is a non opening bridge which crosses this canal, with only 24 feet of clearance. With mast lowered, we may be the first and only sailboat to have used this canal.
Yes, in my case all I did was release the boom kicker (i don't use the topping lift) and lay the boom on the deck to one side. The sail is in it's cover on the boom. The mast rotated a little and as I was not lowering it completely I wasn't worried about the spreaders. I had just reworked my MRS with help from BWY and suggestions that Todd and Cheryl gave me. We were moving about 4/5 mph while going under the bridge. My wife felt comfortable with all the precautions and rehearsals we did if things went FUBAR. Her name is Nell. On the boat it's Nervous Nellie.
