So about that photo from yesterday.

You can always tell a suspension top by how they survey a place for the first time. Any top worth is salt is looking up, searching out hard points from which to hang a willing victim. Now the Abbey is filled with them. Once the home to a WW2 era copper foundry, the place is a suspension top’s wet dream.

In addition to all the “natural” hard points, we have installed a few of our own. One that I have been dying to try is what we joking call “The Rolling Hard Point”. These are the industrial racks we use to move and dry rope on. A find from Galahad, these beasts are capable to stand up to our constant abuse and not cave under the hundreds of pounds of wet rope we hang from them on a daily basis. I have been looking for an excuse to rig someone to one of these since we got them and last week I got my chance.

K was a little unsure when I explained my idea. She was even less sure when I needed her husband and Tambo on either end of the rack to keep it from rolling away from us. Once trussed up and in the rack, she is secure. But what of the great winch you ask? I mean this is not called “The Dry Rack Wench of the Week” is it? Well no, no it is not. K was looking funny at me when I started to wrap some re-enforcing lines around the base of the rack and then she yipped with terror as we wheeled her out and under the great winch.

When we brought her down she told me, “I was almost disappointed there for a sec. When you had me tied in the rack I thought but I wanna ride the winch!”

K was perfect for our first test of the rack. Just the right height and a good sport. In hindsight I think I’d do it a wee bit different, perhaps a longer body harness and more lines connecting it to the frame… that way when we hang weight off the bottom of the frame it creates more even pressure on the body inside. Perhaps a red body harness and black conecting lines?

Hmm any volunteers?