No health and safety here

[John Arton]

Hope this plays.
Fascinating film of the sailing vessel "Vega" rounding cape horn in a storm.
Rgds
J.A.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EpzUMg7_Zkg

[Bill Morrison]

Thanks for the post John. I have changed my mind keep the sailing ships, motor ships were never that bad even at their worst.

Bill

[Doc Vernon]

Hard and tough days were those
Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

WAs down by the Cutty Sark back in July.

Looking up at the masts it made me wonder what it would be like reefing in the sails in a gale on such a ship.

No OHS in those days, they must have been tough men.

[Jim R Christie]

Hope this plays.
Fascinating film of the sailing vessel "Vega" rounding cape horn in a storm.
Rgds
J.A.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EpzUMg7_Zkg

It's a well known film made aboard the barque PEKING, now undergoing a multi million Euro restoration prior to taking her place at the Hamburg Maritime Museum. Vega is the name of a Facebook and Youtube page dedicated to sailing vessels, which I presume is where the video has been "lifted" from.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI John.
Thanks for this post, what about the bloke taking the video, must have been lashed to the mast. I always envied my brother getting a trip from NZ to the UK on the Pamir, despite that film I still would have sailed on her, then, not now, I climbed up a ladder yesterday to fix some nails on the roof, sore back this morning. Dream on.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Des, I was told that once you reach 50 climbing ladders is no more.

Well, there is nothing in the book of life about it so I, like you, continue to climb them.
Great view from the roof of my house.

You can avoid the sore back by sending her in doors up. LOL

[Brenda Shackleton]

Oh my word !That was scary !!
My g/father was in sail. 4 masted barque, THISTLEBANK to Australia in the Pacific Grain trade. 1890s Also coal to Newcastle , NSW . Those men were tough and strong ~ no overweights with that daily workout !
regards
Brenda

[John Arton]

Comparing those sailors running up the rigging to set the sails with today's sailors where firstly before carrying out any task that entails going about a metre or more above the deck, firstly carry out a risk assessment to see if the task is necessary and how to make it safe, then a toolbox meeting to check all involved are aware of the risks involved in the task, safety harnesses tested and fitted, standby man in attendance, etc. Etc. And that is before having to inform and request permission from head office to carry out task. Think I may be overreacting, no, have seen one companies SMS where all the above were required prior to painting the accommodation front.
Rgds
J.A.

[Red Lead Ted]

John, In the days of most seaman on this site there where many hairy scary moments we endured nothing to compare with the days of sail, I remember signing on a Federal boat here in Liverpool she was light ship the first task the Bosun set me was to hand me 2 light bulbs one for each top mast, All deck hands know the crack you would put the bulbs in a galvanized bucket along with a pair of pliers because you could bet your bottom dollar the nuts would be seized up to get the old bulb out into the bucket then replace them with the new you would hang onto the little ladder and personally I never looked down because the masts on some of those old cargo ships was a long climb indeed, Then you had to descend and make sure you had everything with you in your bucket which was lashed around your neck or waist and dropped nothing below. From the top mast to the lower hold empty must have been around 180 foot in pounds and pence, And you only bounce once