Sarabi Dismasted

I just got word that my 56 cruising cat Sarabi broke her Forespar Aerorig. They are safe at Richmond, CA. I should find out a lot more soon.  I would have expected a carbon unstayes mast failure as close to impossible.

I have not heard back again yet so still only guessing but I can only think of a couple of possible scenarios. 

One is the roller furling system.  I recall they often had trouble with it.  What if it bound up in a gust and the sheet was not blown in time?

Many years ago I was an expert witness in a case against Forespar for a really unnecessary mast failure.  In deposition they declared that they never follow the design documents; they do it their own way.  What if they freestyled this one too?

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9 thoughts on “Sarabi Dismasted”

  1. Are there any updates on Sarabi’s dismasting regarding cause? Can an Aerorig tolerate any amount of shifting while in the bearings? I watched a rig move ever so slightly in both the upper ring and the lower ball maybe a couple of mm. Is that excessive? Any general comments on the rig itself?

    1. I’ve heard nothing new. a couple of mm doesn’t sound bad. depends on what moves I guess.
      I will make some calls and see if I can learn anything.

  2. I recall seeing end on photos of some of the Freedom spars that failed quite a few years ago. There were really obvious circumferntial delamination cracks right in the middle of the laminate. Sarabi’s mast may have been whipping a bit, not being under load, and the partners are the obvious place, of course. Pure conjecture.
    I agree with Jon Reed. Sarabi is one of the prettiest cats out there. The hull lines really are a knockout especially the ster sections. Artwork.
    It’s a pity that ballestron owners never seem to give any candid reviews of the rig’s effectiveness in blue water and heavy weather. Perhaps Alex will give a review when Salty Cat gets mobile.

  3. One of the most elegant cats out there. I love the Corvette/ Dino Ferrari fins at the cockpit.
    Does carbon/epoxy get brittle over time? Heat distortion over time? Wonder what caused it.

  4. Might be worth investigating the failure history of Forespar-built stayed carbon masts. I seem to recall at least one such case from about a decade ago that was attributed to manufacturing technique.

    Good looking boat. She’ll be even nicer when equipped with a 3/1 section wing mast rig!

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