Excerpted from The Complete Riggers Apprentice
Mast Steps
Mast steps are a popular way to get aloft, as easy as climbing a ladder, as the sales literature says. But did you ever try to climb a wet, cold, awkwardly shaped ladder that was waving back and forth in the air? For all but flat-calm conditions, mast steps are no treat, and even in flat calm you need to have a safety line attached to you and tended on deck.
It makes much more sense to have an efficient bosuns chair routine set up, one that enables you to go up in any conditions and to stay up there without having to hand onto a ladder. And without the weight, windage, and expense.
But there is one place – about 4 feet down from the masthead – where mast steps are a really good idea. Just a pair of them at this height gives you a place to stand when you need to get at the very top of the mast, higher than a halyard can take you. Of course, you want to be sure youre tied to the mast before you do this, so theres no danger of pitching out of your chair.
To read all you need to know about modern and traditional rigging, purchase The Complete Riggers Apprentice from Practical Sailor.
