BOSUN’S BAG

THE PROBLEM OF THE CRANE

s a basic proposition, driving bolts through wooden masts is a bad idea. Taking timber out with a drill to make room for the metalwork weakens the spar by definition, and if the bolt is under any sideways strain, it can worry away until water begins to get in. Because the bolt is up the mast, this isn’t salty, healthy seawater. It’s the dreaded rain; fresh water, as we all know only too well, encourages rot. Studying the work of Claud Worth from over a century ago, we find that