December 2018

Marlingspike skills have so many ways of being expressed. Here are two of my favorite recent examples, and one … not so much.

First, the picture above shows a hatchet-hitching masterpiece from the incomparable Lauren Dixon. That’s Moku hitching up by the head, then a Turk’s Head, then a lovely 18-strand round sinnet. All in copper wire (which she twisted into 3-strand “twine”) and ribbon, with the bottom of the sinnet secured with copper tacks. An amazing piece, that Lauren made for her sweetie. Oh, and you can’t see it, but she built a compartment into the base of the handle, to store a file, to sharpen with, and a fire-starting flint. So you can sharpen the hatchet, then use it to chop kindling, so you can light a fire, so you have enough light to admire the hitching on the hatchet. I think that Lauren could be talked into taking commissions for work like this. If you are interested, let me know, and I will put you in touch with her. An artist like this deserves recognition.

Next, here are the stages in making a 1×19 wire splice. First we have the served eye in the vise, with two tucks made with each of the six strands, with each strand having three yarns. The eye is oversized to allow removal of the thimble for inspection, maintenance, or repair. The thimble is from the good folks at Port Townsend Foundry.

Next, we leave one yarn out of each bundle, and tuck the remaining yarns twice more.

Then we drop out one of the two remaining yarns in each bundle, and tuck twice more.

When the splice has been faired, we twist the strands to break them off, in an artful and mysterious fashion that causes them to break with a little hook at the end, to resist coming untucked, but said hooks are flush with the surface, so they don’t gouge adjacent things or people.

With the tucking done, it remains to parcel and serve the splice. Really an optional step, but it does prettify things. The end of the service acts as a seizing to secure the thimble. You will soon find this splice at one end of the forestay of the beautiful Rhodes sloop Varya.

If you would like to learn how to splice 1×19 — or 7x constructions — I can honestly recommend The Rigger’s Apprentice. It is available at our store, complete with autograph, and also at retail stores and sites.

Our last bit of handwork is, sadly, of the non-lovely type. Here on the Salish Sea, we have a lot of ferry traffic. When the ferry is in its slip, the captain keeps it in gear, keeping it pushed against the dock as cars and foot-passengers board and depart. As a prudent backup, the deck crew secures two stout mooring lines from shore, so that even in the event of an engine or transmission failure, the boat won’t drift away from the dock, and people and cars won’t drop into the water. As it happens, engine and transmission failures, though rare, do happen. In my experience, most deckhands take this job seriously, snugging the lines before belaying, and then making enough turns on the cleat to keep the ferry put, should something fail. But some of them are less, um, conscientious:

Zoom in on that belay. Do you think it has a chance of holding, if need be? And this is not the worst example I have seen. For several years I forwarded pictures like this, first to the ferries administration, and then to the Coast Guard. I even forwarded stills and videos of deckhands casting off mooring lines while cars were still loading or unloading. The Coast Guard finally stepped in and put a stop to this behavior, and for a while all was well. But lately these scary non-belays have begun creeping back in. So I am asking for help. If you ride a ferry around the Sound, check those belays as you board and depart. If you don’t like what you see, get a picture, and send it to me. Alternatively, you could contact the Marine Inspection Office directly: john.d.dwyer@uscg.mil.

In book news, my ebook Falling is about to become an audiobook, too. I will let you know when that happens. Apple and Amazon will both carry it.

Meanwhile if an ebook is more your style, you can get one right now. Perhaps as last-minute gifts for the adventurers in your life?

A little further out, we made a print run of actual books, the last of which have been reserved for subscribers to this blog, but my spouse is working on a second printing, and I recommend that you reserve a copy, as a lot of people seem to have a preference for good old-fashioned print. To reserve your copy, write to catalog@briontoss.com.

Fair leads,

Brion Toss

 

 

 

1. New/Old

While in Sausalito recently, I visited the brigantine Matthew Turner , where a largely volunteer crew — directed and trained by professionals — is putting the finishing touches on a 5-year-long project. This is a purpose-built vessel, 100′ on deck, based on a line of very successful 19th-century trading vessels. It will be dedicated to taking thousands of schoolchildren out on the water every year, to  teach them about the important stuff. You know, science, history, working as a team, and tempering their spirits. It will provide the kind of education that doesn’t just supplement conventional schooling — it transforms and supercharges it. If this sounds a bit exaggerated to you, then you probably haven’t spent much time on traditional sail-training vessels. They provide an unparalleled blend of physical, mental, and spiritual challenges, and they do it while also being a blast of an experience. The Turner is the latest member of the sail training fleet, and by all that I saw, it is going to be one of the best.

This 100′ on deck brigantine is small enough that the crew won’t be dwarfed by the ship, complicated enough to demand skill and effort from its crew, and large enough that, combined with a superlative design (I’m looking at you, Tri-Coastal Marine), it can sail anywhere. I could go on and on about its self-charging all-electric propulsion, its way-redundant safety features, and the quality of its construction, but you really have to see it for yourself.

If you are going to be anywhere near Sausalito, give their office a call, and see about scheduling a tour.

If you can’t get there, cruise around their splendid Web Site.

Whether or not you are going to be anywhere near Sausalito, consider Donating.

Thanks to Sylvia Stompe, Alan Olson, and crew for a great visit.

 

2. Semi-Old

I also recently visited the Samson Rope factory, near Bellingham, Washington. I love rope factories. I love all the whirling bobbins, the testing machinery, the splicing and analysis and experimentation that goes on there. This place did not disappoint. Of course it helped that I lucked into a tour with Senior R&D engineer Greg Mozgai, one of the savviest rope geeks I know. Again, I could go on and on about alternative yarn-tensioning techniques, abrasion-testing machinery, and the magical way that hundreds of nearly invisible yarns drift through the air, converge, and suddenly turn into a big piece of exquisitely braided rope. But I won’t. Get thee to a rope factory.

On my way out, I saw a weary-looking piece of rope on the wall, set on one side of a poster. Intrigued, I looked closer. Here it is:

That’s right, that little eyesplice hoisted John Glenn out of the drink at the conclusion of the Friendship 7 flight. Yes, the text says “Apollo” instead of “Mercury,” but that doesn’t make this splice any less of a sacred artifact.

 

3. Very New

This is about one more visit, this one to our son, his bride, and a new arrival. It was a visit that had nothing whatsoever to do with rigging, but I have become a grandparent, and that has activated my have-to-show-you-a-picture-of-my-grandchild gene. So without further ado, here is the amazing Riley Gray:

Ain’t she something?

Fair leads,

Brion Toss

 

PS,

My book on life aloft, Falling, will make a perfect gift for someone special this year, and since it is an e-book, you can get it without leaving home. Do that. Or maybe the e-book version of the Rigger’s Apprentice. Or if actual physical objects are more your style, visit our Online Store.

Happy Holy Days.