Unsurprisingly, there's now a lot of info on DIY masks around. These seem to be useful sources:

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-masks-n95-surgical-mask/

https://mustsharenews.com/cloth-face-mask/

Aha! The Cambered Panel Virus Mask! I have absolutely no doubt that broad-seamed and shelf-foot models will appear in due course.

I have reserved two FFP3 dust masks that I bought for GRP-grinding, in case I need to protect myself against others, or others against me.

But if I needed to make a mask, I still have some Ventile cloth that I used to make outer clothing in my mountain-going days. This is very densely woven long staple cotton, that is very breathable but almost waterproof.

Nic.

Age plays a role, of course  -  I rounded 65 less than a couple of weeks ago  -  but there are other factors. Factor one is, of course that I am not a big and strong guy.

Besides...
When I had Malena with 32sqm sail(s), in the nineties, the sail went up the conventional way, but I had to work a bit on the last panel. The halyard had 4:1 purchase.

Johanna’s 48sqm sail (2003 – 2014) was a challenge. I gave her 5:1 purchase on the halyard, and also fitted a self-tailing one-speed winch in such a position that I could stand up and swing it comfortably with both hands. That sail was raised by me hauling up five panels by hand. Then I took a little break while stuffing the tail in its bag, before cranking up the two last panels with that winch. It wasn’t a job I would repeat every half hour, so when the WinchRite electric handle came on the marked, I bought one. The quickest way of raising that sail was to be two on board. I then went to the mast, with the crew mostly just taking in the slack in the cockpit. Hoisting vertically at the mast is a lot more efficient than hauling horizontally  in the cockpit.

There is one more reason for making use of the halyard hauler: I have now gone away from using the hands-friendly multifilament ropes for halyards and sheets, as they got worn and ragged rather fast. I now use the monofilament (shiny) ropes, which last a lot longer, and which appear to run more easily through the blocks. The downside is that they are rather slippery, compared to the multifilament ropes.

Sooo... clutching Ingeborg’s 8mm (5:1) halyard with gloved hands, can be done, but why struggle when there are easier ways?

Arne

(Btw, Broremann’s 10sqm and Frøken Sørensen’s 20sqm sails were so light that halyard forces were never an issue)

Quicker than a winch, stronger than hands-only.

That trip was the first test of my Mk III halyard hauler. The Mk I from last spring was good for a while, but the shaft at the pawl soon became rickety. The Mk II was made stouter. However, I still found it to be a challenge to get the pawls just right: Too flat angle and the line would slip, too steep angle and it would jam. In the end, I made it work well, but I would not dare to recommend it. This Mk III version, with a real camcleat on it, appears to be the one I will recommend. I will use it a bit more first (with and without the bungee in front), and then produce a little write-up about it (sigh...). This model fits within a sheet of paper, so the drawing can simply be printed out and be used as a pattern.

My manual hoisting of Ingeborg’s 35sqm/40kg sail goes about like this:

·         The first three panels goes up quickly, hauling hand over hand, while standing up.

·         The next panel may be hauled up conventionally, still standing up.

·         The three last panels goes up, using the halyard hauler. The halyard has then been wound one round around the sb. genoa winch and I sit on the opposite bench and ‘row’ the sail up with the hauler.

Edit 20190722: I find it easier now to just pass the halyard 'around the corner' of the winch, not needing to take a turn around it. My 5-part halyard is easy to hold with one hand while pushing the hauler back between each pull.

 (...thanks to the parachute drogue, I don't need to hurry…)

I find the hauler to be at its best when the forces needed are just a bit higher than my hands will like, but still not so high that I need to use a winch.

In short, the hauler is quicker than the winch and stronger than my hands.

Arne

That was a very nice piece Arne. It was more than technical information - a nice balance of text and photos, it captured the joy of it too. Well done, I look forward to your next write-up.