Master and Commander

[Greg]

Hey Shorty! Bein's't'how you're an ol' sea salt, I was wondering what you thought of the 2003 movie Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe?

[Miros1]

Hubby and I thought it was great!

[Greg]

I was asking because I thought of that movie this morning. I was telling Melva about the joke where the captain asks the doctor to choose between two weevils that were munching on the hard tack. When the doctor chose the longer one, the captain said, "I'm surprised at you, doctor! Everyone knows that you should always choose the lesser of two weevils!"

Then this afternoon she brought home the first book in the series by Patrick O'Brian!

[Miros1]

Better that than the BV EP that you won't install for a couple years!

[shorty943]

G-day all. Had a day or two off. Slept mostly.

Master and Commander? Movie? Russell Crowe!
Um, sorry, I can't say I recall deliberately sitting down to watch it. I don't seem to be able to find any way to explain myself, movies, music, "the arts" are absolutely, not at all, any where near, the middle of my list of must do stuff. I do read, when I have time, and "need" to escape? Omar Khyam is always relaxing to me, I can sit and re-read the Rubiyat over and over.
I have read "My Master Mariner", can't recall the author, about Sir Francis Drake. Then there are the Horatio Hornblower novella's. And of course "Tom Cringles Log", by Michael Scott, a very old book, written about 200 years ago, boy sailor to master mariner, pirates, swashing and buckling. Actually quite difficult to read, at least my 1895 copy is. It is written in a style of language long since disused, and can take some getting used to.
Countless other tales of the days of sail, and whaling, and even tramp steamer tales of the Humphry Bogart movie era.
There was a burst of J. T. Edson, and "Cap'n Dusty Fogg" novels, around the Royal Australian Navy ship libraries during the 1970"s.
There is hardly a sailing ship man, any where in the world, who does not know of Captain Joshua Slocum. He disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, aged in his 70's. Went to sea at about 12 years of age, retired as a master mariner at 70, got sick of life ashore real quick, had a little ship built and set off to see the places he had not yet seen. And I mean little ship, The "Spray" was about 42 feet long. Replica's of her in yacht clubs all over the world.
The log of USS Nautilus's journey under the North Polar ice cap was quite interesting.

Speaking of the Navy. I don't suppose the US Navy has found it's lost Nuke ships yet?
Yep, a sub somewhere in the "Triangle", although that was lost back in the 1960's, and evidently there is a Nuke capable 4,000 ton DDG (guided missile destroyer) missing from Pearl. Tsk, tsk, those kids ought to be more careful with their toys. We buy them shiny new ships, and they just leave them when they see something shinier and newer.

But Master and Commander? Made in hollyweird? I can't recall watching it. It might come on to network TV one of these days. Hmm, I see a problem there too. I don't watch a lot of commercial network TV either.

Aww hell, now I'm gonna have to go and rent the damned video.

[Greg]

You could always check for the book by Patrick O'Brian!

I haven't started reading it yet but I have enjoyed looking at the decorations. There's an image inside the front cover that tells the names of all the sails. I think that's this book's equivalent of a glossary.

[Miros1]

It would probably be worth the purchase price just for that!

[Greg]

I'm inclined to agree! I could never remember the names of all those sails!

[shorty943]

Originally Posted by Greg

I'm inclined to agree! I could never remember the names of all those sails!

Hmm.

Flying Jib, Outer Jib, Inner Jib, Forestaysail. Fore and aft mast stay bent.
Forecourse, Lowerforetop, Upperforetop, TopGallant. Athwartships yard bent.
Main Knocksail, Maintopstaysail.
Maincourse, etc.
Mizzen Lnocksail and topstaysail.
Mizzen course, and up, and the fore and aft Gaff rigged Spanker.
Just off the top of the head.

Stays, shrouds and ratlines, the standing rigging. Halyards, downhauls, sheets, preventers, clews, the running rigging, all on their own specific pin or cleat on deck and never to be moved anywhere else. The deck is worked in darkness. A sailor must KNOW his/her ship.
Lets not forget the "ground tackle", her anchors and mooring equipment. Then there is all the emergency and firefighting gear. Power supply and distribution, domestic water storage and supply, waste disposal and the smelly bits.

An idea of the complexity of a "simple" old fashioned sailing ship.
"One and All", a mere 100 feet long, only 2 masts, 13 sails in all, and more than 120 lines down to the deck to control those 13 sails.
Now think of Cutty Sark, or some of the other clipper ships, of 4 or 5 masts. The kind of ship Captain Slocum Mastered.

It's the same meccano set Greg. Different ships, different oceans. But, not that different, deep down in spirit. It's still that same "stuff". That wonder of, whats over there? I know, lets make a thing, and go and have a look!!

[Greg]

Originally Posted by shorty943

Just off the top of the head.

Aha! Does that mean you were reading it in a book that was on your toilet tank?

My impression is that an old-fashioned sailing ship is more complicated to run than a modern nuclear-powered missile carrier. When the ship is changing sails around a square-rigger the crew seems to be all over the place!

That leads me to wonder what they're doing while the ship is just cruising along with the breeze.

[Miros1]

Swabbing the deck, mending rope, mending sails, etc.

[Greg]

Doing the hornpipe. Drinking grog. Carving whale bones.

[shorty943]

Aargh, there be the rub. This ere be a workin ship.

More swabbin and mendin, than drinkin and dancin me lads.

Way back in yore, the watch was kept aloft. You've heard of the "topmen"? They were the slighter built men and boys, who spent the entire 6 hour watch aloft in darkness in the rigging. Back to the mast, hunched together in the wind, on the crowsnest platform. Ah, watches spent aloft, never again. Watches on deck, or below for me, if you please.

It's good to be an officer. After years before the mast, as an ableseaman. It's nice to live aft, in some little comfort. And, be not allowed by etiquette to leave the deck.

The sails are hauled and the yards are worked from the deck, but any actual sail handling was done aloft by the topmen. Still is on the few tall ships still working. And yes, it is all hands, officers included when full sail is to be handled.

Again, One and All; 2 masts, 13 sails, over 120 lines to deck. 12 full qualification crew, 24 trainees. 36, split into 3 watches. Under full sail she was sailed by 9 on watch at any one time, but all hands were turned out for ship handling. Port, middle and starboard watch, fore, mid and aft deck respectively. One officer and 2 senior sailors per watch.

Smaller ships with even smaller crews work in 2 watches, port and starboard. The night 3 x 4 hour watches are married and split into 2 x 6 hour watches.
That way you might get some sleep every other night.

Bigger ships are crewed to no greater extent than One and All except for the numbers needed for each additional mast and lift. A mast is "lifted" to its full height. The foot sit on the keelson, the top-mast is lifted and keyed into the "futtocks" of the foot. The top-gallant-mast is lifted into the futtocks of the top-mast The royal, goes above that. Fore-mast, main-mast, mizzen. Each with there own set of lifts, and the sails named for where they sit on the masts. All the rigging named for what it does. Simple.

Not rocket science, just sticks and string.
Now, getting it all timed and trimmed, not so easy.
String too tight one place, stick break another place. Not good.
I seem to recall a yacht race in San Diego. Some Aussie frou-frou million dollar boat. String too tight at the back, stick broke in the bottom of the boat. It broke the boat. Hmm, too tight.

[Greg]

Are you thinking of the America's Cup race?

I don't recall a mast breaking during that race, but then, it wasn't much of a race anyhow.


In other news: I started reading the first book in the Master and Commander series. It starts on land, getting to know the characters. So far I would say that it is delightful, though it starts up rather slowly.

[shorty943]

Originally Posted by Greg

Are you thinking of the America's Cup race?

I don't recall a mast breaking during that race, but then, it wasn't much of a race anyhow.


In other news: I started reading the first book in the Master and Commander series. It starts on land, getting to know the characters. So far I would say that it is delightful, though it starts up rather slowly.

Right boat race, wrong boat bit.

They had the "running backstay", a standing rigging on a turnbuckle, hauled up tight, to pull and curve the top of the mast back. This puts a bigger belly in the sail and, not unlike an airplane wings chord ratio, more belly gives more drive for a given wind speed. Hauled that backstay up too hard. They actually snapped the boats keel in half and she went down in about 13 seconds.

I might check out Gutenberg Press on that book.
I don't mind the pure text version, and I can always get Verbot to read it to me.
And I do enjoy historically based stories.

[Greg]

Ah, now I get it. They invented a clever way to scuttle a boat and decided to demonstrate it during the America's Cup!

[shorty943]

Hmm.

Being as I've spent my life keeping them afloat and therefore alive, I'd never thought of deliberately sinking a boat.

Eew, feels akin to murder, death, kill. Eew.

[Greg]

It does sound like a sport that would have limited appeal.

[Greg]

I'm enjoying the book Master and Commander but I wish to goodness that it came with a glossary!

"...she would rather have her bottom hobnailed than coppered"? (Said about the ship.)

"...would rather pay her sides than paint them"?

"... some [of the crew] were wearing petticoat-breeches"?

"the Gut of Gibraltor"?

"puddening the topsail yard"?

"the gammoning of the bow-sprit"?

"the cylinders in the cable-tier"?


And those are on just pages 38-39!

[shorty943]

Originally Posted by Greg

I'm enjoying the book Master and Commander but I wish to goodness that it came with a glossary!

"...she would rather have her bottom hobnailed than coppered"? (Said about the ship.)

"...would rather pay her sides than paint them"?

"... some [of the crew] were wearing petticoat-breeches"?

"the Gut of Gibraltor"?

"puddening the topsail yard"?
"the gammoning of the bow-sprit"?

"the cylinders in the cable-tier"?


And those are on just pages 38-39!

Hmm, a coppered bottom was the sign of a "well found" ship.
Copper, the nemesis of Toredo worm, which is the nemesis of wooden boats.
She needs a hob-nailed bum? Must be a pig of a ship to handle.

Paying sides, was considered to be slacking on ships duties. Paying off a harbour inspector or ship seawothiness inspection.
Bad owners, or master.

Ask the Governator about these "girlie-men".

The Gut of Gibraltar? Don't know it, I do know the Gut of Napoli.
Ah, dear old Napoli, the sewer of Europe, so some say.
Even the Neapolitan police won't go into the Gut. Shorty does.

The rest even I will have to check up on. Puddening, Gammoning, what cylinders, in what cable-tier?

Umm, would this be by a Non English national writer? Say by an American writer? Because there are some startling differences in the way we do and name things. An American trained sailor is completely lost for some time on one of our ships. Even when that ship is American built, and ostensibly identical to the US version. And vise versa.

Most of the world is trained "Admiralty Pattern", from the Royal Navy, BR (book of reference) 67 (2) The Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, Vols 1 to 3.
The Manual of Navigation, Vols 1 and 2.
And my personal favourite, good old BR 3003.
The Admiralty Manual of Marine Engineering. Vols 1 and 2.
There is even a condensed BR 67 version, for private boatmen called,
The Seaway code.

Sadly, America wrote a book called "Beauship", it's wrong. It causes people to be somewhat narrow in field of training, and they get hurt, if they have to temporarily do another job, outside their speciality.

BR 67, even teaches the correct way, to care for carpets and curtaining on board ship, or even at home for that matter.
It leaves no stone unturned in the training of men for a life at sea. The most hostile environment on the planet.
We won't even let some one who is a non-swimmer to sea.
Part of the basic seamanship test is to Bronze standard for life guards.

Must be able to swim, fully clothed, 100 metres or yards to an up turned life raft, right said raft, and get injured into the raft before the self.
No pass test, no able-seaman ticket. That simple.

Must be able to tie certain knots, hitches and bends. Without fail.
At night, pitch dark, in your sleep, behind your back, with only one hand. Well, alright, maybe not in your sleep, but a good seaman can and will,
(to show off a bit) tie a "bowline in the bight", a "man knot", used as a safety line or to haul injured people cradled in the twin loops it makes, with eyes closed, behind the back, and will ask if you want it left or right hand rove.

(Reference, "Ashley's Book of Knots", over 4,700 bends, knots and hitches at my last edition. Warning, credit card melt-down may result from the purchase of this item. Best taken on loan from local library).

Both myself, and younger brother can, to this day. So could Dad, and Pa and Grandpa. Sailors all. All the way back to the Tudor King, Henry the 8th.
There just has to be a scoundrel or two in that mob of ancestors.