Rigging

Remember going into LA and all linesmen wearing hard hats. Crew poking fun at them. One bent over and said try and hit it, next he was laying on wharf and his hat a long distance away. Crew , from Manchester, laughed.

Watched a [Sir ]Tony Robinson programme about the Thames last night, showed the mile long shed where they still make rope, very informative, I think there were only four people running it, the rope making.
Des

No Des, think there were more but either out on smoko or maybe strike. LOL
Great program though showing a lot about the Thames that many do not know.

On subject of splicing,multiplait was a corker,many ABs never could splice this correct,they just made up their own formation of splicing 8 strand ropes.

#34. When those mooring ropes first came out they all came with a large sheet of coloured drawings showing how the splice was done . Most seafarers doing the splice after a couple of ropes dispensed with the instructions . After a time these instructions were not supplied with every rope. A mooring rope was usually for the average ship either 8 or 10 inch , so Fids were the order of the day. JS

Did my last mooring rope splice at 70 on the Sydney ferry South Steyne, only thing was had to carve out my own Fid, but it worked ok.
Des.