On Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:29:40 +0700, Bruce
wrote:

When I was anchored in Singapore there was a young French guy there
that used to grab the shrouds on his 25 ft. boat and shinny up the
mast with no equipment - like a monkey up a coconut tree :-)

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The key to that technique is "young" and a high strength to weight
ratio. Another way is to grab some halyards, brace your feet against
the mast, and "walk" up - easier when heeled just a bit - and much
easier as a 20 or 30 something than as a retiree.