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This is an interesting picture size wise.
When I many years ago visited HMS Victory I didn’t reflect that much over the height of the deck. When I some thirty years later sailed on La Grace I found the fighting tops to be quite high up. Turns out that it’s the same hight as Victory’s poop deck. And Victory’s width is almost the same as La Grace’s length.
Thanks for posting this picture Jonas. You are right it does seem odd. Standing on Victory's poop deck it does not feel all that high either. Your comment really brings home the difference.
Rob.
Could the different "feel" be the amount of structure around or underneath you? It's sorta like being on the roof of a 3-story building vs. being about 25' up a tree...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bligh
Just to add to the confusion, I spend a lot of time up 65' masts and feel as comfortable as sitting behind a desk. I am not at all comfortable on a 6th storey balcony.
When I worked for the Ministry of Public Buildings and works, part of my job was a scaffolding erector. It never fazed me in those days no matter how high we went or what we were doing. When I was about 38 we took our young brood to Harlech Castle. Standing on the Battlements of a sound stone structure I looked down into the rail yard at the foot of the Castle Rock, and got vertigo. I have had it on heights periodically ever since.
Rob
I was sent up the outside of a mast on a T42 in refit about 500 metres from that photo when I was a trainee back in 1990. There's been a fire and i had to doa post fire inspection, but the internal route was blocked by debris so I had to go up the outside. No safety rails and I hate heights - and the ship was in dry dock at the time so I could see ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM!!! Took 10 minutes to summon up the courage to get going, same thing to start the journey down, agve my report to the Constructor Commander through gritted teeth and with a white face. He asked if I was OK, I said "fine but I'm s**t scared of heights boss". "Should have said, I'd have sent someone else" he replied. No way, no weakness!!
To be honest I have no problem up or down the ratlines, but when getting into the fighting top my grip tightens and there's butterflies in my stomach. I even dove into the water from half way up the ratlines, jumping out to clear the deck.
There is a big difference from how I percived the height. From riding moderns ferries in the Baltic I'm used to the deck being high up. That's higher than Victory and then the tops of La Grace is very far down.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ella.800px.jpg
We could do with one of those diagrams drawn up showing the respective heights.
La Grace, HMS Victory, T42 and Viking Ferry. :wink:
Rob.