Bill F. wrote:
I always assumed that lug sails were generally hung on the port side of the mast so the right handed majority could work at the mast more easily while holding the sheet in their left hand. It's certainly why my sail is on the port side of the mast.
Most of us, in the JRA, lead everything back to the cockpit or control hatch, so don't need to go near the mast. The main reason that Jock and Blondie put the sail on the port side of the mast was so that if you needed to work on the rig while at sea, you could heave to on the starboard tack and have access to the battens etc. You would then have right of way over all other vessels.
Of course, this was in the day when both those on ships and those on yachts knew what 'heave to' and 'starboard tack' meant and knew the Rules for the Prevention of Collision at Sea. I wouldn't bet on either of them understanding any of the above these days, so the concept is probably irrelevant.