by John Powell John was billed to talk on the Science of Knots, but said his contribution would be practical rather than scientific. As a sailor he knows the importance of using the right for the job. He began with a Stopper – any knot at the end of a cord to stop it from running out from, for example, an eyelet on a sail. The simplest thumb knot works, but if pulled tight becomes difficult to undo. Better is a figure-of-eight knot, which can be undone; with a folded through loop if extra bulk is needed. The , for attachment to a post, will take tension but can be undone. He demonstrated this on a short batten, not by throwing two loops over the end, but as one would if attaching a to a tall post or a ring. Looping one end of the cord through the hitch makes it a quick release knot. Next was what John called a – a modified clove hitch which cannot be undone. Obviously the cord cannot be recovered, but unimportance if using twine. This can be used for temporarily a cut rope end until a proper cord seizing is made over it. John has also used it for mending trellis work, either tying a splint across a break or, for an invisible mend, doing a halving joint to the splint – saving the hassle of taking the trellis down but doing a repair that could well see the trellis to the end of its useful life. The tied at the end of a rope gives a loop that will not constrict under load, useful to hold a line on a hook. With a loop large enough to sit in, it is a rescue knot, allowing one to be hoisted to safety. It can be tied in two ways, both equally effective, the loose end being either inside or outside the loop; Europeans favour one, Eskimos the other. It is often called the King of Knots. A Brummycham Bowline has a pair of loops – more comfortable to sit in. If the main part of the rope is put through the loop, one gets a Running Bowline - a . There are many variants of this: double, Portuguese, Spanish, water, etc. The Emperor of Knots can be tied in the (without access to the ends). The Alpine Butterfly is a vital mountaineering knot which gives a loop that will not close, with the entry and exit rope aligned, John demonstrating it by making three loops round three fingers of one hand and passing the middle loop through the other two. It can be tied to put a fray to one side in a loop leaving a slightly shorter but srong rope, or for instance to make a hitch onto a piton. Two together make a Versa Tackle, the loops acting like a pulley. With another loop a 2:1 mechanical advantage results, though with enough friction for it not to be necessary to tie it off. One would not use this if continual usage were contemplated, but it is ideal for pulling a leaning post back to vertical – which John has done. It can also be used instead of a clamp. John had even used one as a stopper in the middle of a washing line to stop it running through a (real) pulley. A useful web reference is: www.animatedknots.com/knotlist.php

Alan Ashby brought a naval Rope Ladder, even the rungs made of rope, as an example of knot making skills. He now keeps it upstairs at home in case of fire – hoping he never has to use it.

Slides & Commentary of the Moon Landing by Alan Ashby Some 40 years ago Alan had prepared a set of Slides, with a Commentary Tape, from 35 mm colour transparencies of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing on 20 July 1969. Many of the slides were from a set purchased from St Paul’s Cathedral (of all places) and some from Airfix. The commentary included music and some recorded material. The tape recorder was set to play the commentary, while Alan advanced the slide projector appropriately (there was no linking automation). The first slide had the legend “Ash Films” surrounded by some nifty graphics with additional titles copied from official NASA photographs published in the commemorative issue ‘Time Life’ magazine. The familiar story was then unfolded over the next ten minutes: from the Apollo launch accompanied by the “Fanfare for the Common Man”; to the Moon landing; and Armstrong making the first steps. The crew’s return was shown with President Nixon to greet them. Although a tape-slide show, the effect was as if given by a film, and one worth watching. Alan commented afterwards that Armstrong remains reclusive and rarely gives interviews. Buzz Aldrin, in contrast, still speaks about his experiences, and was at the Imperial War Museum just four months ago – an event Alan was sorry to have missed; however, BBC Radio 4 recently interviewed Buzz Aldrin in a programme Alan was able to record.