Huge wrote:
On 2010-09-17, Pete Verdon
d wrote:
Dave wrote:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand
aloft? Now that would scare me.

Not sure what you mean. Stand on the masthead?

That's called "Dressing (or Manning) the mast (or yards)"
[...]There's some poor sod (the "button boy") who gets to stand on
the very top. [...] http://www.sloproom.co.uk/mast.htm

Ah, I see. On our ship, being on the yards in any other way than
standing on the footrope is forbidden, so no standing on top of it like
they are in that picture. Although I have done when working on things up
there, probably serving and blacking. The rules aren't as strictly
applied to Deckhands doing maintenance, compared to Voyage Crew.

Pete