Belay that!

Greenheart

Greenheart

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Just watching Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle, 1967, which sadly did little at the box-office. Not a great film.

Funny, fake-looking gaff schooner, complete with the usual, dismally obvious pretence of sailing while the sails shake and the vessel nevertheless charges ahead under diesel power. :rolleyes:

Nice to be reminded of belaying pins, though. Does any sailing boat other than a training-ship, still make use of them? Are there any jamming-cleats manufactured, for 30mm sheets? Or are all the loadings that once required 30mm lines, now dealt with by 8mm Dyneema? :(
 
dancrane said:
Funny, fake-looking gaff schooner, complete with the usual, dismally obvious pretence of sailing while the sails shake and the vessel nevertheless charges ahead under diesel power. :rolleyes:

Nice to be reminded of belaying pins, though. Does any sailing boat other than a training-ship, still make use of them? Are there any jamming-cleats manufactured, for 30mm sheets?
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I don't know about the belaying pins,but I share your irritation at the laziness of film makers with sailing ships. I can't watch the otherwise excellent 'Master and Commander' without being annoyed to see, when HMS Surprise leaves the Galapagos in pursuit of her prize, clear evidence of Captain Aubrey's secret weapon; twin 500hp Caterpillar diesels. Lucky Jack indeed.
 
Exactly so, Ken. And the Dimbleby documentary showing the power of sail in ancient days; he sits aboard a very beautiful gaff or lugsail fishing boat, and his words are neatly undone by the vessel's rapid progress upwind, while her vast sail shakes like a flag. :mad:
 
I remember reading about one modern fake square rigger ( replica would be too kind ! ) made for film work; apparently the idea was to motor astern so the sails filled & billowed nicely for the camera, and there was a foam generator at the forefoot to produce a 'bow wave' !

I should think one could have a lot of fun with that set-up re. the colregs and any other craft trying to work out what was going on...doubt it would look convincing to experienced sailors, just rather odd.

I've seen a few larger traditional style cruisers with belaying pins, there was a very pretty schooner, roughly 50' by memory, called 'Rights Of Man' at St Helier old harbour then the Medina which I think was so set up.

I wouldn't be that surprised if the odd Nantucket Clipper has them too.
 
Does your belaying pin live in the customary pin-hole, for use as a line-fastening? Or is it a handy implement for expressing dissatisfaction with galley output, and for dealing with rowdies and would-be pirates? Or both? :D
 
QUOTE by Seajet: I remember reading about one modern fake square rigger ( replica would be too kind ! ) made for film work; apparently the idea was to motor astern so the sails filled & billowed nicely for the camera, and there was a foam generator at the forefoot to produce a 'bow wave' !

I should think one could have a lot of fun with that set-up re. the colregs and any other craft trying to work out what was going on...doubt it would look convincing to experienced sailors, just rather odd.

Re illusions... Oh dear, you've got me thinking, now! Prepare for non-belaying-pin digressions...

If one might devise a small radio-controlled submarine...not for deep diving, but deep enough to allow only a stubby antenna to show, Jaws-style...then, if one connected one's racing dinghy or unengined yacht to the sub with a very long wire...

...one could cheat one's way to racing victory, on a calm day! :)

But...I s'pose one would have to be unhealthily keen on silverware, to build a ruddy radio-controlled torpedo and risk tangling the fleet with hundreds of yards of rigging wire... :eek: :D

Re belaying pins... are Nantucket Clipper owners wilfully, overly traditional? Very pretty boats, but they're obviously of modern construction and rig. Are N-Cs much in evidence, this side of the Atlantic? I don't think I've ever seen one.
 
Ha ha! Silly me, I see that Nantucket Clippers were built in Hertfordshire... :( :D Time for a new thread, I think; I can't find much internet background on these lovely boats.
 
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dancrane said:
Just watching Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle, 1967, which sadly did little at the box-office. Not a great film.

Funny, fake-looking gaff schooner, complete with the usual, dismally obvious pretence of sailing while the sails shake and the vessel nevertheless charges ahead under diesel power. :rolleyes:

Nice to be reminded of belaying pins, though. Does any sailing boat other than a training-ship, still make use of them? Are there any jamming-cleats manufactured, for 30mm sheets? Or are all the loadings that once required 30mm lines, now dealt with by 8mm Dyneema? :(
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Lots of boats with traditional build still use them, Ezra & sister ships - proper pin rails etc etc. (see sailezra.co.uk). They work fine as far as I can see.

Who want to try to get 30mm line under load out of a jamming cleat :eek: ?
It might be Ok if you put the tail on a winch, but pins/Regular cleats - allow you to ease off the line under some control by hand alone (and safety!)
Ordinary deck cleats are not functionally very different from a pin anyway.
You can't really hold on to 8mm dyneema very successfully - I prefer lines of about 10-12mm for handling..!

Graeme
 
Little Ship has one :)

100_0819.jpg


It's used to defend the Fun box from the North Wales Mob :)

Tom
 
Little Ship, am I risking assault by belaying pin, if I ask whether the flag (visible in your photo), is missing an apostrophe?

What does the message say? :confused:
 
dancrane said:
Little Ship, am I risking assault by belaying pin, if I ask whether the flag (visible in your photo), is missing an apostrophe?

What does the message say? :confused:
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"Don't tread on me", I expect. An American saying, and I think the motto of one of the states (which I guess is what the flag is).

Pete
 
As for belaying pins - Stavros probably has over a hundred, but you did rule out training ships. So I can only offer the tiny wooden belaying pin that I added to one of my mizzen sheer poles to take the mizzen masthead flag halyard.

Pete
 
Thanks Pete. Weirdly enough, when I put "don't tread on me" into Google, Wikipedia described:

A flag with a white field used by united Albanian clan of Europe. (the Culpeper Minutemen )

I'm not sure I'm any the wiser!
 
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