Sailing ketch awaits new mast
Stephanie Burr
Staff writer
February 4, 2008
After years of holding HMCS Oriole’s spinnaker, the main mast has been removed to make way for a new piece of timber.
It cracked during the wee hours of the morning last June as Oriole rounded the last leg of the Cadillac Van Isle 360 Yacht race on the Strait of Georgia. The wind was gently nudging the ship onwards when the crew heard a boom.
“We heard what sounded like a canon boom, and then the sails began to fall,” says LCdr Jeffrey White, Commanding Officer of Oriole. “The top two feet of the mast just cracked off and the boom came crashing down into the water while the main sail and spinnaker sail crumpled into the ocean.”
The crew scrambled to haul the heavy sails out of the water and watched as the top of the mast dangled precariously by a mere two ropes. “It just hung there while we, hand over hand, dragged the rigging and gear back on board. Shockingly, apart from a bent guardrail the boom had hit, there was no major damage, except that we were left without a mast. We didn’t make it into port until about 6 am.”
It was with heavy hearts that LCdr White and his crew delivered the Oriole into Point Hope Shipyards dry dock, where it currently awaits a new mast. Despite the excitement of a beautiful new mast, LCdr White can’t help but mourn the loss of the old one, which was replaced in 1984 by Fleet Maintenance Facility.
“The mast was made out of old growth fir that does not come along everyday. It was hundreds of years old and it served the ship well,” he says. “The first mast lasted 44 years and we only had to make one major repair on it when it was fractured in preparation for a trip to Oregon. They ‘scarfed’ in a section then, but other than that it has lasted brilliantly.”
Scarfing a section into the mast means taking the existing mast and splicing in another piece of wood. The original mast was made up entirely of scarfed sections, as these are stronger and more flexible than one solid piece of wood.
“The new mast will consist of smaller scarfs compared to the original mast as it’s harder to find longer ones these days,” says Eric Jespersen, owner of Bent Jespersen Boat Builders, the company contracted by the navy to build the new mast. “The wood for the new mast has been logged from northern Vancouver Island and is from 150 to 200 year-old Douglas Fir trees. It’s going to be beautiful sitting at 92 foot long and, though it will have a slightly larger hollow inside.”
Jespersen says the larger hollow in the mast will correct a slight design flaw present in the original mast. “The new mast will take into account today’s type of sails and while it won’t be visible, it will have a more precise design,” he says. “I’m really excited to be helping get Oriole back out on the water; it’s a great boat.”
When the new mast is ready for installation, LCdr White says he will once again place coins under the mast, a faithful navy tradition.
“As sailors, we’ve been doing it since the time of the Romans. We place coins under the mast every time it is repaired or replaced as ferry payment to the underworld should we become shipwrecked,” he says.
Oriole is scheduled to return to the water in April.
“I can’t wait to see her back where she belongs. Sailing her is the best job in the navy; it’s magical. On her decks you become extended so far beyond what is generally naval,” says LCdr White. “Her decks are so worn with footsteps of the past, and I consider myself very lucky to be leaving my footprints with her. The navy has done her proud keeping her so well maintained. Having her back on the ocean will be great.”
