To The Main Crosstrees

[Greg H]

I made it up there :D 120' (more or less) above the deck....no I didn't bring a camera, this time, nor did I want to let go of anything any way. Makes the maintop seem like a porch. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p5836dde236b8966061c223c9f1405198/f76ba936.jpg

[J. Dillon]

Congratulations! :D Is that the Constellation ? How did you get permission to go aloft, doing some of the rigging work ? :confused:

JD

[John E Hardiman]

Did you use the lubbers hole?.... :D ....

[Greg H]

I sure did, I'm not that crazy :D

J. Dillon....Yep that's the Constellation, I'm a volunteer rigger, learning one little thing at a time. Right now it's replacing the dead eye lanyards for the Main Shrouds, tensioning them, and putting on new round seizings.
When we finish for the day, I try to go aloft to look around a bit and get used to it. Most of the topmast shrouds still need to be ratted down and that means working up there at some point.

and I signed the insurance waiver ;)

[nedL]

Congratulations! Kinda fun isn't it :D

[Kevin Zembower]

He had to use the lubber's hole; the futtock shrouds aren't rattled down.

-Kevin Zembower
Leader, CONSTELLATION volunteer riggers

PS: We're back at it again this Saturday, 21-Aug from 8:30-12:00. Write me at kevinz@charm.net if you're interested in joining us.

[ 08-16-2004, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: Kevin Zembower ]

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Sounds fun, but the commute is a little too long. :D

Steven

[George.]

How do you reach the upper masts? Shimmy up the unratted shrouds, or use a bosun's chair? I can shimmy up Dalia's shrouds almost to the crosstrees (only 10 meters above deck), but don't dare to try to actually get on the crosstrees without a chair!

[Kevin Zembower]

One side (port, I think) has shrouds, the other does not. Then, there's a Jacob's ladder from the lower crosstrees (the t'gallent crosstrees?) to the upper crosstrees (the royal crosstrees?).

-Kevin

[J. Dillon]

I once read that midshipmen aboard USS Constitution and probably most Man-o-war men used to do hand stands on the main truck :eek:

Can ya imagine that ;)

JD

[Kevin Zembower]

I can't imagine doing hand-stands on the truck. However, I did meet a British fella at last year's International Guild of Knot Tyers conference in Newport News who told me how the RN manned the yards, including the truck. The man up there lashed his leg to the lighting rod so he could stand at attention. I can't imagine that, either.

-Kevin

[Alan D. Hyde]

See Irving Johnson's classic Around Cape Horn movie, available from Mystic Seaport...

Here's a link to some Johnson stuff:

http://www.skidmore.edu/irc/media-services/Hunt_stuff/Yankee.html

http://www.media-products.com/around.JPG

***

Alan

[ 08-18-2004, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[Clyderigged]

During the rerigging of the MOSHULU back in 1995, an elderly man with a thick Scandinavian accent approached me. He said he had sailed around Cape Horn on MOSHULU during one of the grain races of the 1930's and showed me a photo of himself on top of the main truck on MOSHULU while underway. MOSHULU's main truck height was 212'. As you can see from the photo, he doesn't even look the least bit concerned.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid136/pa82c01cc90168d835ccd462c1de2e7db/f75e7346.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid136/pb1574a7b28475c7a71c5e4f55c31ee89/f75e7302.jpg

[Alan D. Hyde]

I've been looking around for the Irving Johnson handstand photo, but haven't yet found it... :D

Alan

[Greg H]

I suppose if you went to sea as a fearless kid and got used to it all, that would be one thing. But going aloft for the first time at 50 is another :D

[Alan D. Hyde]

Agreed, absolutely, Greg.

And I wouldn't do it unless I could do some pretty serious one-armed pull-ups.

A good strength-to-weight ratio provides a substantial safety factor.

Alan