Mast Standing Rig

[CentralCoastSailor]

Many in Fleet 128 don't do "away games" very much b/c standing the mast (keel stepped) can be difficult - especially as the sailors age a bit and the distance from the cuddy to the ground seems to be bigger and the fall is a bit harder (over 60 and you bounce like a dead cat! - somebody could break a hip!). ANYWAY - a few of us keep kicking around some kind of PORTABLE mast raising rig - something like a tow behind lift that could be used to raise a mast - would kind of be like a hand crank (winch) gin-pole device that could just go under the DS trailer and reach up about 1/2 the lenth of a mast (so it can balance and rotate) and then poke it though the cuddy and lower down to the mast step. Folks are VERY serious about one piece keel stepped mast and the "classic" DS hinged mast is frowned up by racing fleet (althougth I'd REALLY like to see some actual engineering data on how much of an advantage NOT having a hinge above the cuddy really makes - NOTE that the Mercury Fleet has done extensive research on this topic and the fleet now includes provision for a hinged mast and report ZERO advantate / disadvantate - just that its a TON easier to raise the mast). What do other's think??? Has anyone come up with a portable and easy way to raise masts for a fleet of DS's??