In 2007 the weekend had the worst possible weather for windmills which use canvas sailcloths. Because of the amount of rain during the day (Sunday 13th May), we were not able to fit the sailcloths because once they get wet, it is very difficult to get them dry for storage. It would also be hazardous to climb wet and slippery sails.
However, soon after 2 pm the rain virtually stopped until about 5 pm, and a good breeze from the east was enough to keep the sails (without cloths) turning for most of the afternoon. Due to the age of the wooden machinery, the brake wheel is disconnected from the wallower, so there is no load of machinery operating in the mill. However the wind still has to turn about five and a half tons of timber in the sails, windshaft and brake wheel. The advantage of being 750 feet above sea level is that if there is any wind at all, then we will usually benefit from it at Lacey Green.
This page ( nmw-2007.php ) was last updated on 5 February 2018.
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