A Gentleman's Bosun's Chair

The plastic base on my masthead tricolor sailing light cracked 2 years ago and I managed a quick fix while in Bermuda using sheet metal screws, electrical tape, and a climbing device called the "Mast Mate." This jury rig made the light operational and got us home but did not address the basic task of replacing the defective part. Without unstepping the mast this repair proved beyond my abilities considering the small parts, intricate fasteners, and close tolerances involved. Therefore I called in the experts.

Ocean Gate Yacht Basin on the Toms River in New Jersey (http://www.oceangateyb.com/) is a family business and perhaps one of the best operations of its type. Gary, son of the founder and one of the principals, is an old friend and agreed to the job. At the time I had no idea how he would do it but I found out a few days later (photo at left).

The solution not surprisingly was a "cherry picker" type truck, but one of impressive proportions. He simply backed up to the dock behind the boat, set the various supports that stabilize the long arm of the work platform, and shortly thereafter we were back in business. While he was up there Gary, a past master of boat rigs, also gave the rig the benefit of a quick check. Now that's a bosun's chair.