How to get a tall mast under a small bridge

by Mark Cherrington on 22 Jan 2012 A long range cruiser - even a short range cruiser - is often presented with some curly problems to solve, and getting your yacht past a bridge that is too low for it is one of those challenges which many cruisers would just rather not tackle.

But watching this video will show you how getting an 80ft rig under a 65ft span is not only possible, but easy - when you know how...

This video is shot in the Intracoastal Waterway of the USA which is the 3,000-mile (4,800-km) waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea, BUT it has bridges. The yacht shown here is using two tons of water to facilitate its passage.

The balls get swung out with an initial turn to port or stbd. The tendency then is for the roll to continue by itself, but is controlled by letting the bags out slowly with a line made off to each bag and running through necessary tackle to a cockpit winch.

Want to try it? Make sure you get the math right!