Dismasted: What tools do you need?

There has been a catalogue of dismastings in high profile yacht races recently. Those with alloy cruising spars are far less likely to suffer this fate than Open 60s with towering carbon fibre sticks, but it's something everyone who goes sailing should think about and be prepared for.

The racing rules require all competitors to carry tools for severing standing rigging, should the worst happen. And this is one of the many areas where cruising skippers should follow the racers' safety example.

As Dee Caffari found, when the mast on her “old” Open 60 Aviva went over the side in the Bay of Biscay just before Christmas, the wreckage needs dealing with straight away. In itself, losing the mast is unlikely to endanger the boat. And since it is most likely to fall to leeward, it usually falls away from the people in the cockpit, and direct injuries are relatively rare.

But there is a very real danger that, unless the broken remains of mast can be quickly cut free from the tangle of sails, running rigging, wiring etc, the rig may bang against the hull, and in any weather at all, this could cause serious damage, threatening the boat's integrity, and so the crew's ability to survive the incident.

Wreckage on the deck also poses serious hazards for the crew, especially as the motion of the yacht will become more unstable and less predictable once the mast has gone, and it may well remove stanchions, lifelines etc as it falls.

The situation can deteriorate quickly, and swift action is needed. Cruising yachts are getting bigger and bigger, and it is essential that the tools carried are up to the job: don't wait until after it happens to find that those bolt cutters are not big enough!

One of the things we learned from the ISAF safety course we took last year was that even a huge set of conventional bolt cutters would not tackle rigging wire the size of the shrouds on our 40 footer.

And if we couldn't make them work in the comfort of the classroom, where the floor was reassuringly still, we'd stand no chance at all on a rolling deck. There's also the real possibility of dropping the only set of bolt cutters over the side!

On the other hand, we discovered that good quality hacksaw blades did the job surprisingly effectively. And the advantage of hacksaws is that you can carry plenty of spares. (It's still a good idea to provide them with lanyards, to make them less likely to be dropped, in the heat of the moment).

Make sure your hacksaws re well wrapped up, safe from damp and corrosion, but stowed somewhere it would be easy to get at them, should the need arise.

Are hacksaws really enough? Given a full racing crew, with several big blokes working simultaneously, probably. But on a short-handed cruising boat?

Holmatro Marine Equipment is a Dutch company which introduced a series of hydraulic emergency rod and wire cutters in 2006. Homatro Rescue Equipment claims to be the worldwide market leader in high-pressure hydraulic tools for fire brigades and rescue organisations. Its tools are used to cut trapped victims out of vehicles involved in road traffic accidents.

The company, which also makes rigging hydraulics, had the idea of developing tools especially for emergency situations at sea. With designs based on those existing rescue technologies, the emergency cutters for use on board are said to be able to cut rod and wire rigging made of the most advanced materials.

There are three models in the range, available in different sizes:

• The hand-operated cutter, with an integral hydraulic pump, has a compact design, making it more convenient to use than conventional bolt cutters, as well as more powerful. It has dedicated blades for rod or wire rigging, and, like all Holmatro's emergency cutters, can be locked on to the rigging.
• The battery-operated cutter uses Dewalt battery technology. Holmatro selected that brand because it is widely used and available all over the world. The battery operated model cuts rod rigging quickly and easily, even when weather conditions are bad, says the company.
• The remote-operated cutter is connected to a separate hand pump by means of a three-metre hydraulic hose. The cutter is locked on to the rig and remains in place unattended. This enables the user to cut rod rigging at a safe distance and stand back from flying ends if the rig is still under tension, says Holmatro.

What to do if your rig goes over the side:

• Put fenders out to protect the hull from the wreckage
• It may be quicker and easier to undo bottle screws than to cut through standing rigging
• Do not start your engine until you are certain that there are no trailing lines, wires etc at risk of becoming entangled in the propeller
• If the weather is bad, cut away the mast and wreckage and abandon them, to protect the hull. In his book Seamanship Sir Robin Knox Johnston recommends leaving a stout line attached to the mast, so that while it is at a safe distance from the hull it can be recovered later if conditions permit to recover sails, build a jury rig etc
• When weather permits, retrieve as much of the mast as possible, to create a jury rig. Even if you have enough fuel to reach port, a jury rig will make the motion of the boat a lot more comfortable