A great invention for cruisers in the last 20-30 years has been the roller fulering headsail (or front sail). This allows you to roll (or wrap) the jib around the fore stay instead of taking it down, bagging it, and storing it away every time you finish sailing.
This system works great….until it doesn’t! Mine went out by lifting up because the bearings were shot. I noticed some grease below it a year ago, but thought that was normal. Turns out that is the first sign the gasket and bearings are getting ready to go out.
I had to have Skip the rigger come to the boat and have a look at it. He said we would have to run four lines from the top of the mast (3rd photo) and loosen the shrouds in order to pull the pin holding the fore stay in place. Once we had it off we slipped the lower drum off and he had to get a cutting torch to get the screws out of it due to the titanium and stainless steel seizing together.
Thanks to his help I was able to have the system repaired in the two day between charters. If you need any rigging done in the Virgin Islands he is the man to have do it.
Catchy title!