Colorado Photography by Chester Bullock

Boat pulley, originally uploaded by Chester Bullock.

I was walking along the lakefront in Toronto last fall, and saw a large wooden sailboat that was used for lake cruises. I am sure that a pulley of this nature is pretty common in sailing or waterfront areas. But to me it wasn’t. We are now in an age of “optimized everything”. Titanium and stainless steel are lighter and more efficient than wood. Pulley’s just aren’t made this way anymore, at least not for the industrial applications I am accustomed to seeing them in.

The boat itself was pretty interesting, but this pulley, conveniently located where I could get up close and personal, spoke volumes to me for some reason. It’s been cared for, but it also shows it has been used quite a bit. I am a “candled are for burning” kind of person. It’s nice to see a unique functional piece that actually gets used instead of just being placed for decoration.