There are very few yachtsmen and women who like climbing the mast on their boat.  However, from time to time, it is unavoidable.  If a halyard jams at the masthead, the consequences can be critical.  When the masthead navigation light bulbs fail, it is tempting to leave them "until the end of the season".  However, that is dangerous and possibly illegal.

MastClimba can make mast ascents almost enjoyable!  Where better to take your photographs from when you are moored up in a pretty creek or a stunning lagoon?  Where better to look out for reefs and lagoon entrances?

When you sail with a beefy crew, the bosun's chair is the traditional method of ascent, being winched up by the "gorillas" on board.   However, if your's is a husband and wife adventure, the picture is very different.  Even in calm waters or moored alongside, winching a crewman even half way up a mast is exhausting work.

MastaClimba is devised to take advantage of the climber's leg muscles which have spent their entire life preparing just for this occasion.

The climber sits in a bosun's chair attached to a masthead halyard as normal.   The MastaClimba is rigged on its own dedicated line secured at the deck and hoisted to the masthead also.  The climber sits in the chair, locates his feet on the MastaClimba footrests in the stirrups and stands up.  This removes the load on the bosun's chair halyard and the resulting slack is taken up at the winch.  The ascender then sits back down again and repeats the sequence.  A rhythm is easily established and experience has shown that, e.g. for a 40 foot mast, an ascent can be reduced from 20 minutes to around 2.  Not only is the ascent speedy, but neither the climber nor the winch man or woman has expended much effort.