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AMNW at Oct 26, 2019 02:47 AM

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7./ that I hope in some way you hear of where we are. I take my hour'sturn at the wheel now, when it falls due, and am getting on fairly well altho' it takes a lot of strength to turn it sometimes. Most of my strength was in my legs after cycling 7,000 miles but here its strong arms & shoulders that are needed. During this warm weather many of us made hammocks out of wheat bags & sling them up out on deck & it is much better & no bugs. However I find it necessary to usually sleep on my back & since doing so I dream a terrible lot & most fantastic they are at times. I thought a few facts about the "Parma" may prove of interest. It is a 3,000 ton four masted barque built in Glasgow in 1902 & named " Arrow" later changed to "Parma" after an inland Italian town famous for its violets. It is one of the larges sail driven ships afloat today and holds the record of the Cape Horn trip from Australia to England of 83 days; in 1933, & also won in1932 with 103 days. It has 18 square sails on its 3 mainmasts and 9 others; 27 sails with a total of 32, 000square feet. In one of the biggest sails ( the foresail ) it takes over 10 miles of twin to sew it together, which makes approximately 2,000,000 stitches. The main deck is 328 feet long and 46½ feet across. It has been in many storms & been knocked about a lot. I am very glad we didn't go via Cape Horn for by comparison, a bike ride from Adelaide to Perth would have been the perfect holiday. In 1932 nearly all the sails have blown to ribbons, galley wrecked, solid iron

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