Device and method for erecting at sea a large slender body, such as the monopile of a wind turbine

A method for erecting at sea a large slender body, the method comprising:

• providing a device having a jack-up platform provided with spud poles for taking support onto an underwater bottom, and with a work deck to which are connected fixation means for a tension cable and guiding means that are provided at an edge of the work deck, the fixation means and guiding means being positioned at work deck height, whereby in operation the tension cable is attached to the fixation means, is guided along the guiding means and attached to the large slender body, the fixation means being adapted to lengthen or shorten the tension cable;
• with the platform in a jacked-up position, bringing the large slender body in a substantially horizontal floating condition at least partly underneath the work deck of the platform such that a top end thereof is underneath the edge of the guiding means;
• attaching the tension cable to the slender body;
• and
• pulling on the tension cable using the fixations means and thereby;
• gradually bringing the slender body in an erected position along the edge of the work deck;
• and optionally
• driving the slender body into the under water bottom.