Day 7: of the blog and of work but actually day 8 because yesterday was a day off, but that isn't important right now...

Training Day!

...so Alonzo says to me, "You wanna go to jail or you wanna go home?" - oh wait, wrong training day, that was Denzel...

Training day for me was my first chance to feel like I was actually making some progress.  Why?  Everyone had to do the same thing - regardless of experience!  Nice!  In fact I caught on the to new way to make a bowline knot as fast as everyone else!  Yay me!  Really it was because we were all learning new and they all had preconceived notions and I am blissfully ignorant.  Go team ignorance!

I didn't take a photo of my bowline - and it would sort of be useless anyhow but here are some of the knots I need to know to do various tasks on the ship:

The bowline is all the way to the left in the middle (not the center smart pants)

We also learned a couple of hitches.  "What's the difference between a hitch and a knot uncle Vince."  Well I'm glad you asked.  A hitch needs to be attached to in order to exist a knot can exist in its own right.  Make sense?  For instance here is a butterfly hitch (wink at my beautiful wife) we put on the sails we were bending on (more sailor talk!) Saturday.  Notice that if it weren't wrapped around the yard and you pulled on it it would just come undone:

Oh my almost forgot.  Had my first chance to strike a sail and set a sail.  Still learning but at least I got stuck in a bit.  Learned some more of the terminology and technique.  For example: to make sure the line is secured - "all fast".  I mostly hauled - pulled on the rope - cause that's what I'm best at right now.  Hauled the Top Royal sail - the line you haul on is called the "halyard" (cause you are hauling up the yard to set the sail).

This is a model of the main main mast IN the museum.  The crew of the Niagara (and me!) use it to train. Can't see it well but the middle line closest to the camera is the halyard.

We also practiced seizings and "I" splices:

The small cords around the larger lines are two kinds of seizings.  The can take a tremendous amount of load.  They are VERY tight.  The "nail" to the left is actually a 10" marlin spike. Sailors carry one on them the all the time (although 6" or 8").  An important tool daily.

Here is the splice I made.  It's not done yet as I did not "taper" it.  But it makes a permanent loop in the rope that is stronger than a knot - just as strong as the rope itself.

Bit longer today but there was a bunch going on.  Hope you enjoy.  Back to putting the ship back together tomorrow.

Ahoy!