How to avoid blisters?

[osteoderm]

This all reminds me of a saying we had, when daysailing folks on the Lady would ask about our hands: "Real sailors don't WEAR gloves," we explained, "we GROW 'em!"
For some reason which i've never quite understood, around the boat we almost all developed a "ridge", of which we were quite proud; a raised callous on the inside of the first knuckle of the ring finger.
Back in a woodshop these days, i've sadly found that my hands have lost this "feature", but anyone who handles rope more frequently than i soon ends up with some fine "grown gloves"... just shake hands with any serious traditional sailor and you'll feel what i mean.