Daniel, yes I do wear gloves.
Will, it's just all the hand, not burned by friction but just swollen. I pull all the lines of the boat except the jib. I agree it's not just the mainsheet but I believe it's the one that contributes the most. The last three days I was on the beach with a f***ng electric cable that kept me from moving the boat with the mast up, so assembling and disassembling the boat was a big part of the problem I think. The original plan (after discarding leaving the boat on a buoy, as in previous years) was to leave it on the beach, with the cover on. But the concept didn't work.. the boat ended up being immediate attraction for the late night gang..