So I have a fitting as below with some line spliced to it in a locker on my boat.
From the fitting on the end it clearly seems to be intended to be fitted to the mast through some vertically elongated aperture which is hopefully reinforced.
I'm a bit lazy and haven't gone up my mast as yet since the boat just had the standing rigging replaced in 2018 a couple of years before I bought it.
It is possible that there is an aperture hiding behind the spinnaker or jib halyards but perhaps it may be intended to go in the pole topping lift aperture although I would have thought that this would wreck the sheave.
I'm on the boat at the moment so I can only get a crappy picture from deck level of the fitting where the topping lift disappears into the mast but does anyone know of a dual purpose sheave/forestay anchorage fitting that might be up there?
I can't really see how there could be such a fitting so perhaps the fitting in the locker is really really old from before my boat had it's present non-original mast fitted in 2000.
Ideas??
It's a T-ball or tee-ball. Lots of dinghy masts use them. There would be an oval slot with a backing plate oriented verticaly. put the ball in and turn 90 degrees.
The thing is, for a removable forestay, you are not likely going up the mast to install it if conditions require it. Is there a slot on the deck with the other end perhaps going in through your topping lift sheave then tensioned by winch & jammer?
I have the same fittings on my mast for my running backstays for the staysail the forstay fitting is welded
It looks like you have a allyachtspars mast like my boat
It might be worth looking up and seeing if there are fitting under the top set of spreaders where they might fit for running backstays
That hole in the pic immediately above would be for a runner tang. Maybe if that hole isn't for a keyhole fitting then maybe the line was from a previous mast. It is possible though that the hole in the mast wall looks round but the fitting inside has the key portion...
I've also seen t ball fittings slotted into D shackles to make for speedy engagement/disengagement.
It could be someones home made jib halyard/downhaul, or something of the likes. The welding on it looks very after market
Thanks again guys for your ideas. I guess if I've had the boat nearly 18 months and haven't found a need for it can't be that important. I will however measure the attached line tomorrow when I am on the boat which may just help satisfy my curiosity.