The bosun's chair hitch, or lowering hitch, and how to form it

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Answering my own post, and not having found the lowering hitch in Brion's book*, I would say:

Having stopped the standing part to the hauling part, preferably with a racking, but by grasping them together if you are singlehanded, pull the fall through the chair bridle to form a loop.

Pass the loop over your head and shoulders and make it long enough to go over your feet.

Pick up the loop with a foot and bring it up outside the bridle.

Haul taut; you should have a hitch on the bridle with the fall leading up; lift the fall to slack off, drop it to stop.

Comments?

Edited to add: Practice this six inches off the deck, first.

* Quite possibly because Brion thinks the lowering hitch is unsafe.

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
When I used to go up in a bosun's chair I would use this hitch, and as you describe it involves dropping a bight through the chair and bringing it up past you to form a kind of Becket Bend at the bridle's junction. In those days I was, um, somewhat less safety conscious than now, and would typically do this with no backup, and even slack the fall to draw up the bight. I shudder to think of this.
A carabiner hitch is, in any event a better tool for the job, not least because it acts as a fairlead, to keep the part you're pulling on close to you no matter what. Also, of course, easier to form, secure, rappel on, and remove.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Brion - I sense that you disapprove of self lowering in a bosun's chair altogether, but do I take it that you would prefer using the Munter hitch? It is certainly easier to form "one handed".

The real use of a lowering hitch on a chair is when sanding and varnishing a mast, or slathering something on standing rigging, as I personally feel safer doing it myself rather than endlessly calling a helper (who is bound to become bored, and perhaps careless) to resecure every 18 inches.

[benz]

If I had to pass a bight of rope around my entire body while securing myself with the other hand I would probably let the wrong hand go and end up hanging myself. There is a device rockclimbers use commonly called a grigri (made by Petzl). Once the rope ( 3/8 is the best diameter; I usually run a piece of it up with a halyard when I need to climb a mast), is threaded, you pull a lever to lower off. Releasing the lever stops the descent. That way I can stop anywhere along the length of the mast, with no outside assistance. It can be fitted to a bosun's chair, but I prefer going up a mast in a climbing harness anyway, since I use mechanical ascenders (also made by Petzl) for that sort of thing. Incidentally, I found it handy to be able with the ascenders to go up the mast while under sail by jugging the tensioned fall of the main halyard (external halyards are a must for this; but external halyards should be a must anyway) to spot for coral when sailing in those parts of the world where coral is found.
If you do a lot of mast climbing, these little climbing gadgets are really worth looking into.
Ben

[osteoderm]

I completely agree with Ben's ideas regarding the use of rock-climbing gear/practices. I climbed for some time before sailing, and being used to climbing gear, the traditional bosun's chair and associated practices have always seemed pretty unsatisfactory to me. It sure is handy to have a helper grind you up the mast, but otherwise I've always regarded the halyard as a secondary line, trusting my safety to one or more fixed lines aloft.
I'll add that there are other less-complicated (no moving parts) alternatives to the Grigri, such as "Tubers", although the twist'n'tangle-inducing figure-eight belay plates ought to be avoided. I have no personal issues with using carabiners for attachment points for mast-climbing, provided such pieces of climbing equipment are used for soley that purpose, and closely inspected; this is second nature to many climbers, who frequently have no qualms about discarding any piece of gear that's been dropped more than 6 feet, no matter how it appears visually. Snap-shackles don't inspire my confidence, but burly climbing 'biners made to keep my life intact do.
I'd also like to mention the Prussik again; a simple "knot", easy to learn and remember, but hard to describe. I've always used one to back up any mechanical belay/lowering devices when working on a rockface.