The major consideration that I have in winter mast removal is that a keel stepped mast leaks water into the bilge and in Ontario cold winters leads to ice where I do not want it. My mast comes down and the boat is shrink wrapped. Yes , I could install a garboard drain I suppose but the bilge configuration on a Keel centerboard does not help. This on a 35-3, but when I had my 25 the mast was up most winters. Both boats had cradles. On the topic of rig failures, I was present when three different 25 s had major rig problems. Returning from a regatta my boat was escorting another 25 whose motor had quit. This boat was purposely rigged with what to me was loose rigging, but then the owner was an ex Olympian and that is the way he liked it. It rolled on a wave, the mast whipped and down it came. We did a long tow home. Had a squall hit us, visibility 50 yds, max speed we could make, 2 knots. That was fun. At another regatta we crossed the finish line ahead of another 25 who tacked for the line only to never make it as his mast came tumbling down. The third instance was when a shroud tang failed but an immediate tack saved the mast. In both the later instances there was a history of prior collisions with no obvious damage. Harold Celtic Spirit 35-3 1986 Hamilton, ON
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