Don’t you just envy those people with Wanderers and Wayfarers who are able to lower their masts down with ease? Especially if you are going to visit the Broads.

Some years ago Renée and I took Dolphin our Mirror 16 up to the Acle area and camped and used the boat for day trips. I made and fitted the hinge before I went and found it very handy for going under bridges.

A pulley block mounted at the bow of the boat will be needed, raising and lowering down from the cockpit on to your mast crutch. Practice off the water is a very good idea, I found that lowering one handed and steadying the mast with the other is recommended; bashing the crew on the head is not! Mount the gadget on a piece of hardwood 3.5” x 5” as when lowered down the mast may not clear the washboards. The Mirror 16 has very large ones round the front of the cockpit so I made a cut-out as well.

There is an added bonus to this labour of love as with the mast tenon in place and fixed it makes raising the mast a doddle too, but care is needed, crash helmets will be worn! The reason that there is a wooden plug used is that should your rigging give way, hopefully the wood will shear through, allowing the mast to dump over the side and not break. Otherwise, if the mast could not free itself it could finish by ripping the deck out — oh joy — check your rigging anyway — me, I use lanyards not bottle screws, easier on the hands and cut-able if needs be.