In December 2003 M5’s mast was being stepped for the first time, at that moment it was more than 50% bigger than any other built. Marine Results directors Jon Morris and Ed Danby formed part of that original team and have continued to work with the yacht every year since. Roll forward 16 years and Marine Results have just stepped it again after a refit in Italian shipyard NCA Refit. The current owner has continued to invest in technology with further improvements to M5s mast and rigging system along with a stunning colour change to match the yacht’s new livery.
Over the years the stepping team has been reduced from 45 to 10 and the crane lifting capacity has been reduced by half. With a highly experienced team, this year’s stepping saw the mast go from horizontal on the ground to safely made in the yacht in just under 2 1/2hrs. That’s not to play down the achievement, weeks of preparation went into making this process so smooth. The mast still weighs in at 27 Tonnes and towers at 89 metres, the height of the crane required to get it into the yacht was a massive 109 metres from the ground. The crane takes 2 days to build and whilst it is capable of driving itself to the yard, another 6 lorries are needed to bring the extra components that are necessary to give it its full height.
Over the next few weeks, the Marine Results team will continue to complete the installation of the rigging systems. The 85-metre outer headstay is still to be installed, some tuning of the mast required and calibration of the fibre optic load sensing equipment. When all of this is complete the team will then lift the 26-metre boom into place and get ready for sailing trials.
Get in touch with us on info@marineresults.com or call +44 2380 454666 for further information.
