Whale
Other
Mast raising system
The first requirement for this system
is baby stays. These stays keep the mast from going off to the side when the
mast is being raised. The stays attach to the mast 6 feet up and to the deck
16 inches on either side of the mast. The holes in the stay fittings and the
mast pivot bolt all line up so as to make a long hinge. This is necessary in
order to keep the stays tight at all times. Shown in the picture is the setup
used on the 87-89 boats. On later boats, Macgregor changed to ropes and straps
which had to go farther to the sides of the mast in order to not stretch too
much. The result was a far inferior system.
On the 87-89 boats the mast raising pole
is attached to the mast a few inches above the deck and the pole had to be
about 90 degrees to the mast. This arangement is shown in the picture. On
later boats he improved it by making the fitting that is bolted to the deck
with two sets of holes. With two sets of holes (one set at the rear for the
mast pivot and one set at the front for the pole) the pole could be pivoted
against the mast and stored there when the mast is up. 
The next detail is of the end of the
pole. The boats made from 87-89 had a metal plate permanently inserted
into the jib stay. This plate would fit into a slot in the end of the
pole and bolted there. There was also a hole for the block and tackle
to attach to. Later boats had two eye straps fastened to the pole. The
jib halyard fastened to one eye and the block and tackle fastened to
the other. This arangement worked well. 
The last part of the equipment was
a block and tackle. This was fastened to the metal plate in the stay and
the rear hole in the front chainplate. This gave a four to one purchase
which made it easy to raise the mast. This picture has the location of the block and tackle reversed. the bolck and tackle attaches to the lower hole and the stay attaches to the upper hole. 
The last picture shows the block and tackle after the mast is raised and the jib stay attached.