i must say i have never got more comments on the blog than i have gotten over the latest mast issue! i am adding this to cover everyones current concerns and comments.

i really think we are ok here, the gooseneck is bolted on more securely than the original rivits and with the new weld more secure than the previous bolt configuration. i really do not think a "new mast" is necessary and i am pretty sure i am out of warrantee here! if you look at the picture showing the whole mast you can see that we are only talking about the aft 1/3 of the mast that contains the roller furler asm. the crack its self only extended about an inch from one bolt hole. there is another 2/3 of the mast that is a closed tube that holds the wiring halyards and everything a standard mast does. i believe this is responsible for the structural load not the aft 1/3 with the main rolled up in it and the slot all the way up and down it.

finally, i did get this from jim at the spar company after i sent him the final pics today.

"I think you are good to sail. I know it is not perfect but you are better off now."

at the same time i have been getting some great advice from everyone. here is a great email comment from dave (my thesis advisor back at stanford)

"As I pondered the whole situation, including the comment about "Catalina never planned on anybody using the boat like you do", I started wondering what level of fatigue analysis they did on other key parts of the boat.... like the standing rigging, keel bolts, and rudder shafts. I have no idea what the design is like for either rudder or keel on your boat, but I do know that some modern boats, if not most, have the keel bolted on to the hull. I have also heard of keels departing the hull. In a storm, either a rudder failure or a keel failure would put you in a more dire situation than a loss of your mast. I also understand it is standard practice to replace all the standing rigging every so often on sail boats, I assume due in part because of their fatigue life, and part due to corrosion.

You seem to have access to the Catalina folk, so it might be useful to ask them about their design margins when considering fatigue life of the various parts, or if they did a fatigue analysis! As I see it, you have not only been sailing a lot more than most owners, and in lots of unprotected waters that put a periodic load on the craft, but it sounds like you have spent many a night at poorly protected anchorages, which also puts a lot of periodic load on the mast, rigging, and keel. (not sure if it does on the rudder). I have little knowledge of fatigue (not since MIT days in the 50s!), but I do know that the first commercial jet airliner (BA comet) crashed due to fatigue, and 737s have been losing skin sections due to fatigue on high cycle aircraft."

i do plan to ask about the rudder, i ordered a second "arm" for the second autopilot and i noticed it was for a bigger diameter rudder post than i have, perhaps this has been upgraded as well! i have a spare prop and prop shaft and now that i have a conventional packing gland can change this with the boat in the water if necessary. and yes, caston i have rigging cutters among everything else! fortunately i had a J-O-B when i outfitted palapa so did not spare many expenses in the spare section.

i am looking for someone to help with the trip across the pond in this very SAFE and nicely set up vessel! no experience required just a positive attitude! so if you know anyone excited about this let me know. i hear the Caribbean is a great place to spend christmas and winter in general :)

cheers, roger