Here’s a Thanksgiving treat for you. We’re looking at the British fishing smack Keewaydin, and one of her two crew members are making a harbor furl of her jib.

She has just sailed in and set her fisherman style anchor alongside Wind Horse so we had a ringside seat to putting her to bed. No roller furling here!

The listing of British smacks says she is 79 feet on deck, and that she was built in 1913. The sails are certainly Dacron, but they look awfully heavy. One of the crew is cleaning up the lazy jacks prior to furling the mainsail.

As a wild guess, this sail will weigh in at 300 pounds minimum (90kg). You need to be in shape, and dedicated to your avocation to deal with it.

A proper harbor furl.

Owning a vessel like takes total commitment to maintenance and seamanship. It is costly, requires hard work, and involves a degree of risk. But when you sail her on or off her hook, and handle her in an efficient manner with a small crew there is a feeling of accomplishment and pride that is hard to duplicate in any other fashion.

We are off for a few days to enjoy Thanksgiving with the family. We and the crew at SetSail wish you all the best on this holiday.