Luis Alvarez
Black and yellow it is...I found an article (cs.finescale.com/fsm..ts/f/7/t/155395.aspx) that describes exactly that pattern. Nevertheless, I doubt the sails were checkered yellow and black. I agree they were natural wool.

Luis Alvarez
Well, I'm stuck with the oars. I made a few of them according to the kit's instructions. However, they look too short to me. The kit refers to four sizes! My references show a uniform oar size, but is hard to establish a size. Any help?