Lost the Main Halyard

Hi All,

So long story short, I broke the tracing line for the main halyard I had installed for the winter. Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the main halyard run. The mast is already stepped.

Options:

1. I have access to a bucket truck for $100
2. Use a setup with two prusik knots, one at climbing harness and second on a foot loop to shimmy up above the jib halyard.
3. Call a rigger to fix the issue (everyone is SUPER busy right now)

I have until Friday before the boat gets launched to figure this out.

A thought: This is a good time to learn and practice on my own how to be self sufficient and deal with a lost main halyard for when it happens underway.

Question: When I do get up there, I will use a new tracing line with a length of bicycle chain attached to the end to run it down the mast, then fish it out the exit hole. How do I assure I get on the correct side of the spreader bar, and should the line be fore or aft of the bar???

Figure someone out there on this forum has dealt with this issue!

Cheers

Troy

Update:

I've decided to defer addressing the issue until the boat is in the water.

This is the plan...
1. Raft up with my neighbor's boat.
2. Climb his mast.
3. Connect jib halyard on my boat over to his mast.
4. Winch my jib halyard to pull both masts together.
5. Drop new main halyard tracing line with bicycle chain at end down inside my mast.
6. Fish it out the bottom.
7. Pull new main halyard through.

With some research from another thread, I read that the halyards all run behind the spreader bar (open to correction on this). I will loosen up my forestay and hank on the backstay tensioner. This will give me max rake to encourage the tracing line to fall down the aft side of the spreader bar.

If anyone has any further guidance, I'm all ears Surgery begins sometime next week!

Cheers

Does the main halyard get run through the second sheave seen in the photo below? I was successful in routing the main halyard over and behind the sheave inside the crane; but was I supposed to also run through this second sheave which can be seen from looking in through an opening in the front of the mast? That sheave is frozen up, so not sure if it was routed that way previously or not???

Note, I borrowed this pic from another thread, not my mast but looks the same.

Yes it is. Otherwise the halyard wlil chafe at the intersection where the mast crane extension is welded to the mast.

Thanks for the confirmation! I head back up the mast at 8am with gumption to get this thing right, armed with a can of PB Blaster.

@Rhapsody thanks for all that you contribute to this forum. I'm new to J/30 ownership and though I have been a lurker here for the most part so far, I've learned a ton. Your spreadsheets for engine parts inventory, winter prep, and crew assignments have been invaluable.

So, thanks again!