LETTERS A Growl from the Forecastle
To the Editor: I know neither Mr. Stanley Gerr or his sea experience, but in light of my own, I take exception to his American orders for tacking a square-rigged vessel as put forth in his article "The Language of Command in Sail" in the latest issue of SEA HISTORY . His first and third orders are the same preparatory advisement and should be given after the helmsman is directed to "Give her a good full." Then comes the general call "Hands 'bout ship!", "Stations for stays!", or "Stand by to tack!" The turning order is "Down Helm," often pronounced "Helium," at which time the mate on the fo'c's'le head has the slack of the weather sheets hauled over the head stays and then slacks the lee head sheets )Vhile the second mate is aft and if the spanker is set, trims the boom midships. "Hard alee" is a small craft term, not used in large vessels. The corresponding deep water order would be "Hard Down!" and would be an emergency order only, since a hard over rudder has as much braking as turning action. When the sails begin to shake, the order "Raise tacks and sheets" is given and as she runs up into the wind, the warning "Weather main, lee crojik braces!" is called, followed by "Mains'! haul!" Unless Mr. Gerr is tacking a 4masted bark he'd better haul rather than slack his lee mizzen braces to get the after yards around, since those braces lead forward in a 3-masted ship. And, if the master knows his business, the order will be called as the wind presses against the weather leeches while the lee side of the sails is still blanketed by the fore sails, the wind thereby swinging the yards without manual hauling. With the wind about a point on the new weather bow, the order "Let go and haul!" swings the fore yards around and as the head sheets are shifted over, to the helmsman goes, "Right the helm ," the tacks and sheets are boarded, the spanker sheet eased off and the watch on deck clears up the tangle of gear. I seriously doubt "Haul 'round the fore yards" sounds too much like a landsman's "salty" idea of sea-goin' lingo. And, incidentally, when tacking with the mains'] furled, the order is "Main tops'] haul!" Mr . Gerr's suggestion of a study of the language is excellent and should be swiftly activated, for there's far too much "salty" writing by uninformed authors that is printed and accepted as
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from the United States to Australia, coming to anchor in Sydney Cove, just a biscuit toss away at the foot of George Street outside the door. I must also take this opportunity to congratulate you for the splendid articles in Boating. I felt it to be a privilege to have my illustrations appear with them. The present article "How the West Was Really Won" turned out to be especially enlightening and of particular interest. Gertrude and I just recently returned from Sydney by sea, touching at many of the places singled out in the article: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tacoma, Seattle and Vancouver. We later spent a week or two with friends in Victoria, B.C . A lovely spot and the Provincial Museum there is one that should not be missed. In my ignorance (I knew about the ships and voyages in varying degrees of ROBERT G. HERBERT, JR . detail) I persisted in the thought, nevertheless, that it was Lewis and Clark, and East Northport, Long Island their continental successors, who "won New York the west" . Your instructive article gave Mr. Gerr:, who sailed in coasting schoo- its readers a well-needed history lesson, ners and two voyages in the Tusitala un- particularly this one! If I may presume der Captain Barker, is in Europe. He to point out an "Irish pennant"will be delighted to know that he has maybe a typographical one-Drake roused the formidable energies and con- was on the California coast in I 579 siderable knowledge of Mr. Herbert on (not I 574) and on my 1972 visit I shed the project he proposes, which is to my piety like the true pilgrim, on the develop, while time remains, a con- beach below the white cliffs at 38 N. cordance of international practice in the and on the arid , windswept moorland language of command in sail. -ED. above Drakes Bay overlooking the Estero. OSW ALO L. BRETT Levittown, Long Island An "Aye" Vote New York To the Editor: It seems to me a very good idea to preserve at least some of the hulks in New York harbor. Certainly 4- or 5Farewell and Adieu masted schooners or barkentines are of great historical interest and none are be- To the Editor: ing preserved as such. It was a magnificent and yet someI hope there will be a write-up with what sad sight watching three fine tall pictures on towing the Peking from ships depart from South Street SeaEngland to New York last summer. port on July 7th . This letter is intended as a vote for The Danmark majestically backed your thinking on ship preservation and out of Pier 15 , followed by the Chrisrestoration . tian Radich and the Sir Winston ChurA.C . LYON, JR. chill. The crowds on piers 15 and 16 apGlendale, Arizona plauded loudly as the last mooring lines were tossed from the dock. The crews responded with happy cheers. A show Winning the West well done on our 200th birthday. To the Editor: It certainly made me think what it The Bicentennial Festival exhibition of my pictures in Sydney went off must have been like 100 years ago when very well from late March till the end the tall ships departed from South Street of April. A copy of the Society's let- on their perilous journeys across the ter appeared alongside the first picture oceans of the world powered by the .at the entrance. This was, appropriately winds . ED SQUIRE enough, an oil of the brig PhiladelBrooklyn, N.Y. phia which brought the first cargo
authoritative stuff. As my British 4striper said during the last war, "Yes, Commander, They know the words but don't speak the language," when I'd get disgusted with some of the phrases I'd hear. In line with this, it may be of interest to note that while I was a guest recently on the Japanese training ship NIPPON MARV, I was surprised to see the compass card marked with the English N for north, NE, E, SE, S and so on, and on the rim of the bowl, in English was "Dead beat compass-Tokyo, Japan." I asked Capt. Hashimoto why that instead of Japanese characters and he said (he spoke quite good English) that it was because in the maritime field there were so few short "words" for many nautical terms that masts, sails, rigging were all in English, then with a wide sweep of his hand he said, "Yes, everything."