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First of all, thanks for all your best wishes & prayers--they are working.

A few days ago I was released from my local re-hab center. I'm doing quite well but have a long way to get back into sailing or other activities. I can walk fine with my walker and am actually able to go up/down stairs and get in/out of a car. The biggest issue is a brace. It's a clam-shell hard plastic contraption, but, guess is much better than what they used in the past-a full body plaster cast that is not removable. I need to wear this at all times when I'm out of bed and is something I can't put on by myself.

I know many of you are wondering exactly what happened and what lessons were learned, so I'll try to address these questions.

A little history, I bought my bosun chair in 1979, 30 years ago. I do most of my own maintenance so go up the mast roughly 5 times/year to clean the rig, replace bulbs, swap radar, install Tri-lens radar reflector, help neighbors that don't like to go aloft... My best guess would be 150 trips up the mast, meaning this is not new to me. 95% of the time, it's just with my wife Charlene, hauling me up with the main halyard tying a bowline to the chair, no use of shackles with no one else around. Once I get above the lower spreader, & tie a heavy line to the upper shroud-preventing me to hit the deck if anything goes wrong. I do the same once going above the upper spreader.

I've given it a lot of thought tying the spare halyard to the chair. The small issue of it being led forward of the mast (main halyard being led aft of the mast) is not a major issue, just causes a bit of criss-cross lines around the shrouds. She would mostly winch me up with the main halyard, eventually taking up slack on the spare jib halyard could cause a possibility of confusion. The lowering aspect of switching between both halyards adds more confusing, causing, in my opinion another possibility of a major issue.

During this accidental trip aloft, she had hauled me up to the top and I cleaned the starboard shrouds. On the way down, I cleaned the port shrouds. I remember untying myself from above the lower spreader, asking her to lower me about 5'. That easing out of the main halyard off the winch caused me to free fall down about 22', until I hit the deck, right next to the turnbuckles. I was alert enough to call 911 and described my situation and location. I asked few boat workers to go to the street so they can direct the ambulance to my gangway in Marina del Rey. I was VERY fortunate to be sent to the Ronald Regan UCLA trauma center in Westwood. I asked my wife several times these past few weeks what happened. Her only response is "it was an accident! I suddenly found the halyard off the winch and the line out of my hands". Accidents do happen, so I accept that.

I've given it a lot of thought of what I would do differently, knowing how easy it is for something to fail. IF I went aloft again, I guess it makes a lot of sense to have another person helping with the jib halyard. In hindsight, we should just wait for a 2nd person to help in the cockpit. I also think I had false secutity in thinking tying off at a spreader is sufficient. If someone fell roughly 20', being stopped by, say the lower spreader, they would probably get hurt and need substantial help. Then there would be the delay of finding another person with a bosun chair to go aloft and let the hurt person down.

Bottom line, Norm is not going aloft anymore.