Getting round...
It takes about two hours to sand about 1/4 of the surface for the 53 feet. Then the mast must be rolled and repositioned. By using wedges and lifting one end at a time, 1 man is now able to reposition the mast. An added complication is dew in the morning and an occasional rain shower. When the wood is wet the sand paper tears the wood and the dust clogs the paper. It ends up taking the better part of a week to sand the main mast. The good news is that nobody walks up and bugs you while you are involved in back breaking labor.