Posted by Magnus Smith on April 02, 2014 at 22:57:57 user Magnus.
In Reply to: Re: A SWALLOW'S TALE posted by Roger Wardale on April 02, 2014 at 10:57:50:
Wow! Things were even more 'agricultural' than I suspected. So no purchase on any of the rope systems.
It would require a pretty darn strong child to:
1. step the mast (heavy weight waving around in the air, listed 1ft up and inserted into a hole whilst keeping it dead vertical)
2. hoist the sail (hauling up the weight of the yard and the boom too)
3. pull the downhaul tight (weight of yard and tension of sailcloth fight against you) and do up the knot without the rope slipping back through
4. hold on to the sheet all day (can't use the pin in the quarter knee for the period before and after a tack)
I know kids were tougher in the 1930s, but this is astonishing!