mattacme

...tons and tons of grain was transported from Australia to the UK in the holds of sailing ships. These were not yacht-like ships. They were steel hulled (and often masted, too) behemoths. The lower foresail could weigh 3,000 pounds and might have a one inch diameter cable running around it's perimeter as it's bolt rope. These were long voyages and most often around the Cape of Good Hope on the out leg and Cape Horn on the homeward voyage, which was a hotly contested race as the first returning vessel earned the highest price per ton for her grain. Eric Newby wrote a great book about his time as crew aboard Moshulu in the last year these ships made their runs and I highly recommend it. This clip tells a fair part of the tale.