BOSUN’S BAG

STANCHIONS AND GUARDRAILS

n our safety-conscious times, these are something of a controversial subject for the owner of a classic sailing yacht or workboat. Back in the golden days before the war, few boats carried them that were engaged in cruising, fishing, piloting or inshore racing. Surely nobody would argue with the plain fact that they looked all the better for it. Working craft of any stature usually had – and still have – bulwarks which confer more than a sense of security, while yachts almost invariably feature a toe-rail against which a foot can