I was think about the things I might change on my rig/boat to lessen the chance of the rig coming down in a big hit. It would be nice to avoid big hits, but if you are going to enter rodeo regattas you are putting yourself at great risk so best to do what I can to the boat. You feel silly asking for redress when you are in 10th place in the regatta. Anyway...
My list covered the obvious - strong hooks - tape over the mouth of hooks to prevent unhooking when the stays go slack or make the hook mouth very tight. Fuel line type tubing over the clevises. Perhaps a second slightly slack line next to the lower jib stay to keep the rig up if the lower jib stay spectra line fails. New improved 200 lb tube shaped swivels on the stays. Proper swages maybe double on the stays. No plastic covering on braided stays.
One thing that has me puzzled is the best way to keep the mast pin in the hole when I do not use lower lowers. That is a typical point of mast comes down "failure". I guess I need to tie the mast down to the deck or to the mast step somehow. I wonder if anyone has done this and knows of the best/simplest way to do it. Any other suggestions will be appeciated.
The old vertical fin type mast step with a pin sideways thru the mast and mast step is starting to look like a brillliant idea. I do not want to have to change all my boats and rigs tho.
Just as an aside. I wonder how many people realize how weak and eager to go straight in a hit those typical PeKaBe hooks are. They are very soft metal.
Thank you.
Scott