I can relate! Not sailing these days, but I have done my nautical miles, both offshore (usually on smaller keelboats, both racing and cruising and my real love, racing dinghies). I don't have a massive upper body. (I wish!) Been up a couple of masts. (And wore a scar on my inner thigh for decades when I went up post race, hosted by gorillas and did one of their 4' pulls with my skin caught between the mast and the wooden seat.) Always likes having that one woman on as our sixth racing SF Bay. Meant I wouldn't be one to go forward to untangle lines, etc. (And she was a cat. I could not feel her weight when she went up there and I spent most of my time on that boat on the accelerator pedal. (Jib and spinnaker sheets.)

Back to the topic of handlebar drops: Where to place the handlebars to get the drops to where they are all day comfortable is fit item #2 (after locating the seat). I do have the two advantages of having once raced and getting it that I was never supposed to weigh more than a number most would call too light when I was a freshman in college. (6' 1/2" before I started shrinking and 160# max. When folks say I look good - time to lose weight. My health has declined dramatically every time I have passed that mark. The blessing is that the first 5 pounds are easy to lose.

Ben