Knot-tying

[j.sabourn]

Don’t have a copy but what can remember the info. It contained plus the adverts were interesting enough. The other stuff for celestial navigation the Greenwich Hour angles and declination of heavenly bodies can’t see much use for today where all the navigator needs is a pocket sized gps or just park your car on the bridge. Cheers JS

[Graham Shaw]

Interesting "thread". Do any of you deck lads still have a copy of REED'S NAUTICAL ALMANAC my copy1977. pages 843-853. Rope and It's Use At Sea. Types of knots and their uses, splicing and rope whippings (nothing Kinky) also types of rope and glossary of cordage and ropes, a lot of reading.

There was always one on the chartroom bookshelf Bill,I know because I had to order it with my charts and stuff.They were nice hard backed books,but I somehow don't think they got a lot of use,because after all we just used the Admiralty Tide Tables.But mainly we used Brown's Nautical Almanac which also had lots of seamanship info in.
As a matter of interest I looked at Reeds website and there's loads of different ones,including a loose-leaf update version.The main one like we knew is abouT £45 quid,and might be paperback. Yours is probably a collectors'item now ! I forget how many of the old out of date editions ,upon receipt of the latest edition,went over the side during my time. I never kept one,mainly because of the extra weight in my luggage flying home.I think now I should have offered them to other crew,but you just didn't think anyone would want them in those days...
Had a few' kinks' in my time,Bill-sadly only in my ropes,or singing songs like Waterloo Sunset in my record collection. Whippings? Leave it out !

[j.sabourn]

Only two whipping s I can remember were the Common Whipping ,and the West Country whipping, after that they were all lashings . To make it worse they say they used to rub salt in. Brian knows all about it . As he condemned many to such. JS. PS whipping not to be confused with whippet a small greyhound , small probably because they didn’t get fed too much. JS.

There was another post yonks ago reference either to Browns or Reeds Almanacs where I brought up the advert which seemed to be in every year . The advert showed a Hull Trinity House Cadet , I believe, anyhow dressed as a student with a sextant up to his eye as though taking a sight. The only off putting thing was though was that the 5 shades on the Horizon mirror and the 5 shades on the Index Mirror were all down . So what he was looking at was zilch just blackness. You would of thought whoever proof read for a nautical almanac would have spotted this. I always used to cut that picture out and attach it to the chronometer case , and say did you do your sights like this ? Then your sights are unacceptable. JS
That particular post thinking back someone may of come up with a reasonable excuse why all the shades were down but I can’t remember. JS

[j.sabourn]

PS to #33 .... and the palm and needle whipping. JS

[thomas michael]

hi grahan shaw.#32
i have never used a browns almanac, as reeds was if you like the paper back version, and although i believe it was available for professional use, we yachties loved it as its pilotage and tidal imformation together with navigation marks and lights etc etc ,was invaluable, but as john sabourn stated the imformation it carries is so easily accessed in other forms.
tom

[thomas michael]

hi john sabourn #33
good morning once again, i think i remember reading of that particular advert in one of your missives, i should have put you right then, but i never had the courage or the temerity, to point out that in todays modern world the choice of equal opportunity must be given to all who apply and therefore the obvious reason for the the five shades and the index mirror being pushed down was that the young sea cadet was at that time metamorphosing and in fact at that stage of his/her/self identifying bi-lingual transistion they would have been blind, as you see there is always a simple answer,
tom

[Graham Shaw]

# 33,35 -can't keep up!

Reeds for Yachtsmen looks really useful.
Whippings.I would never bring myself to do a thing called a 'Common' whipping-oh no,that's not me-very Hyacinth Bucket,pronounced Bouquet,ha ha ! ,but I certainly remember learning the West Country whipping.(no need for a palm and needle) , but mostly I used the Palm and Needle Whipping,always felt natural using a palm and needle and looked good when finished.

[j.sabourn]

Ahhhhh !! thanks for that Tom. That explains it in a very fluid and direct and decision making decision , that not many could do. The poor kid was blind so it didn’t really matter about doing the colour blind test , however it was decided to put him in submarines where it doesn’t really matter one way or the other. You could have explained very fluently also to Brian’s nurse who didn’t know what a ship was , I would imagine you would of said , well girl ! You have ambulances here , just imagine or maybe do so yourself of driving one into the sea , and there you have a hospital ship. All explained to her lucidly in one sentence. Hope you have cleared up the mess only one day To go before the wife returns , no doubt you won’t have worked today as is Sunday , but no doubt will be claiming a Sunday at sea for it. When you get round to cleaning the paint brushes no sly licks at the turps as you know your off it now. Cheers JS.

[thomas michael]

hi john sabourn #38
i knew once you relised that the cadet was blind that you would find a placement for him/her/it/that/or/maybe, and that their special qualifications could be utilised by putting them where they would be a advantageous asset to the crew, and by jove by thinking out of the hat the submarine is a excellent choice, they could easily be left in control of the conning tower whilst at sea, as 00D where he/or it could practice taking sights, and could be left to safely and securely to run the bond, also stand watchman/or watch this and that,when in port, the uses are endless, no wonder you ended up in command,
as for the wife reaching home port tomorrow afternoon, i have still not cleared up, as when i started the second coat yesterday morning i had been using two rollers one for matt white on the ceilings and one for the white eggshell finish on the walls, and i used the ceiling roller which turned the eggshell into a flat finish, so i have had to do it again today, then finish painting the skirting door casings and doors, so yes im writing between smoko periods,cappy said he would come round to help me clean up, but i know he is after the turps, reckons you cannot tell the difference between grey goose vodka and a well mutured white spirit, except for the taste,he said that fishermans friend turned him onto it,and thats the reason she always needed one to suck.
im dreading the outcome if all is not ready for inspection come manana
tom

[thomas michael]

hi graham #37
as you are appalled by the use of common whipping, others may make the comparison between that recently departed fan of being flayed with the said lash, mr max mosely whom if you remember was dressed as a nazi and was begging for the ultimate,( which it seems was a palm and needle being worked into any hole where ever the the recipient required the attention, )
tom
ps a nazi /pseudonym german