Sailing Today #2

LittleSister

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12 Nov 2007
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Me Norfolk/Suffolk border - Boat Deben & Southwold
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The name is from a Roald Dahl book.

It won't be censored. :D

It goes back further than that, the new owners may like to know:

'It appeared in 1858 as a title for and text within a parody sermon "Where the lion roareth and the wang-doodle mourneth," published in Samuel Putnam Avery's The Harp of a Thousand Strings: Or, Laughter for a Lifetime.[1] Possibly due to its resemblance to or formation from existing words whang[a] and doodle,Whangdoodle - Wikipedia[4] it soon became common to spell it as whangdoodle. The term appeared derisively in 1859 correspondence published in The Cincinnati Lancet & Observer.[5] Mark Twain used it disparagingly in a letter in 1862.[6] By 1877 it had been included in a dictionary.'
Whangdoodle - Wikipedia

(That's setting aside the Willie Dixon song 'Wang Dang Doodle', first recorded 1960 by Howling Wolf, but said by Dixon to have been written early 1950s. 'Dixon explained that the phrase "wang dang doodle" "meant a good time, especially if the guy came in from the South. A wang dang meant having a ball and a lot of dancing, they called it a rocking style so that's what it meant to wang dang doodle".')
 

oldbloke

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24 Jun 2018
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Using levers to adjust kicking straps were quite common before the advent of ball bearing block and strong, non stretchy string. The main problem is a lack of range.
 

capnsensible

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capnsensible

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15 Mar 2007
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Atlantic
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Because it was the original fit, before people changed/ upgraded to rod kickers. If you look at the lever there are marked holes for kicker or backstay, giving different mechanical advantage.
Ta. I've sent a pm to the original owner. I'm down there tomorrow, I will look. Does fine job on managing sail twist.

Actually I was down there an hour ago but didn't look. We took the new owners to the locall China Bazaar to get sheets, pillows and cases, mugs, glasses, cable ties, gardening gloves and other essentials. Also did recon on daft fancy dress for Carnival next weekend. Apparently the skirt on the sailor girl costume is too short and 'Miss Evil'has been vetoed.
 

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