Acrophobia

The mast on a Westerly GK29 Half Tonner is 39 feet tall. Earlier this summer I attempted to ascend to the top of the mast to service the halyards sheaves. I was looking forward to going up there. I brought my camera planning to snap the view from above. However halfway up I became nauseated and agitated. It was my first time to climb a sailboat mast. I think the most discomforting thing was the rocking of the boat. The boat rocked a little and the mast swung allot. I had to come down... a failure.

Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. I never thought I was afraid of heights. Is it irrational to fear going up an aluminum straw 39 feet in the air? What if you add in the motion? At what point it is irrational? I felt safe... I had 2 halyards attached to a bosun’s chair, 1 to lift and 1 as a back up if the first one failed. It was perfectly safe. Sailors climb the mast all the time. While my boat is not this big, watch this video and tell me do you feel anything odd?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdJlgLasCLw

Next time I go up the mast I plan to use a mountain climbing harness and ascenders. I've read others use this method to climb the mast. I got to do it, those sheaves aren't going to do themselves.