Australia’s other square riggers Crew journal of the barque James Craig July Knotty issues To call your self a square rig sailor Morrin’s knotting course at the Maritime Well worth checking out especially their and/or top man, you should be able to tie Museum. Pineapple knots fancy knots. Three inexpensive, Australian printed, There are some excellent sources on the International Guild of Knot Tyers owned, and authored books are recom- internet. I recommend:- mended. They are available from Rams http://www.igkt.net/ Skull Press Written and illustrated by Ron Knot Heads World Wide www.khww. Edwards. net/news.php A great source, but it does cost $27.00 Go to www.ramsskullpress.com, to join. Can be paid by Visa. Marlinespikeknotworks. Turks Heads. Probably the easiest un- derstood of all the books on this subject http://groups.yahoo.com/ Boatswain Mate Knot Page that I have come across. group/Marlinspikeknotworks/ http://www.geocities.com/dgtlcwby/ Knots for Beachcombers and Mariners. 32 pages with 238 drawings This site also covers leather knotting. Knots Useful and Ornamental . 36 pages You can join both of these associations with 248 drawings. on the internet at no cost. BOY’S MANUAL OF SEAMANSHIP AND GUNNER 1871 Cost $12.00 each and this includes Alaskan Museum of Fancy knots postage. www.knotical-arts.com/ This book is well worth browsing as it I also recommend that you sign up for ZDVZULWWHQDERXWWKHWLPHWKH&UDLJ¿UVW went to sea www.pbenyon.plus.com/B_S_M/Con- Full & By tents.html Knots from the Manual The crew journal of the barque James Craig www.pbenyon.plus.com/B_S_M/ Third_Instruction_II.html KWWSZZZDXVWUDOLDQKHULWDJHÀHHWFRPDX-&UDLJ JCraig.html Peter Davey Compiled by Peter Davey Tall ships calendar [email protected] www.tallshipsinternational.net/ Photos by Peter Davey, Jeffrey Luke, Mary Sowa, Mike Richter, John Spiers Production by John Spiers All crew and others associated with the James Craig are very welcome to submit material. The opinions expressed in this journal may not necessarily be the viewpoint of the Sydney Mari- time Museum, the Sydney Heritage Fleet or the FUHZRIWKH-DPHV&UDLJRULWVRI¿FHUV 2 JULY 2007 FULL & BY Back to basics et’s get back to the basics for the duties took the James Craig to sea, the position Lof the Chief mate, Second mate and The Second Mate of “Navigator’s Yeoman” was instigated. Third mate as they were, when our Barque It was a common saying among seamen There is no such job description in any ¿UVWZHQWWRVHD that “a man does not get his hands out of square rig manuals, nor do any other the tar bucket by becoming second mate.”# square riggers carry this position. This From The Seaman’s Friend, (Richard He is expected to work. UDWHLVSHFXOLDUWRWKH¿JKWLQJQDYLHVDQG Henry Dana, 1879. He works like a common seaman ex- his duties are:- In my opinion this is the book we should cept that he does not take part in some Routine maintenance on navigational be following with “Square Rig Seaman- inferior services, such as slushing down equipment, Correcting charts, Hydro- ship” being the guide for today’s extra the masts or sweeping decks etc. Under graphical stores. requirements. normal circumstances, he goes aloft to The position was introduced by an ex furl topsails and courses and when aloft, 5$1RI¿FHUWROLJKWHQWKHRQHURXVGXWLHV The Chief Mate takes the bunt. of the quarter deck staff. Let’s get back (This is the term used when the James #”The Seaman’s Friend” to basics and hand his duties back to the &UDLJ¿UVWZHQWWRVHDQRW)LUVW0DWH DSSURSULDWHTXDUWHUGHFNRI¿FHUV,IWKH\ When working the ship, when all hands Third Mate. ¿QGWKDWWKH\FDQQRW¿WWKHVHGXWLHVLQZK\ are called and the master is on deck, the He goes aloft with the watch to furl not carry a third mate (a third mate does chief mate’s place is on the forecastle, and, he is not expected to handle the light QRWQHHGWREHIXOO\TXDOL¿HG WRUHOLHYHWKH where, under the general direction of the sails. onerous duties on the quarter deck. master, who never need leave the quarter- From Square Rig Seamanship (Captain deck, where he commands the forward part R M Willoughby FNI dated 1997 - Terms of endearment - Whilst training of the vessel, and is the organ of commu- Second Mate - Navigational systems, on the barque Star of India and to a lesser nication with the men aloft. charts, clocks, books and tables, com- extent whilst sailing on the Barque Elissa, The chief mate is not required to work pass. the Mates were addressed, and addressed with his hands like the second mate and During manoeuvring he is normally one another, as Mr.….. the seamen, although, of course, he lets stationed at the main mast. In charge of This is as per “The Seaman’s Friend” go and belays rope and occasionally pulls launching and recovery. and “Square Rig Seamanship” and, to me, and hauls with the men when working 7KLUG0DWH ZKHQFDUULHG &RPPXQL- sounds professional, and is as per the era ship. Normally his time and attention are FDWLRQVRI¿FHU7KLVLQFOXGHVUDGLRÀDJV ZKHQRXUEDUTXH¿UVWZHQWWRVHD,UHFRP- VXI¿FLHQWO\WDNHQXSZLWKVXSHULQWHQGLQJ signal lamps, weather forecasts. mend that the Craig adopt these terms. and giving orders. 1DYLJDWRU¶V<HRPDQ-XVWDIWHUZH¿UVW 3HWHU'DYH\6HDPDQ VDLO FULL & BY JULY 2007 3 OTHER SQUARE RIGGERS - Alma Doepel lma Doepel was built in Bellingen NSW in 1903 and named after the owner’s daughter and as a three Amasted schooner made over 560 crossings of the notorious Bass Strait and is now based in Port Macquarie and is well worth a visit. For further information go to http://au.geocities.com/bellejazz_alma/Alma.html During Saanen’s recent trip to Port Macquarie, Peter Davey spent a night aboard the Alma Doepel. Re- calling that I had sailed on her for a couple of years, Peter asked me if I could give him some photos of her under sail and write an article about sailing on her. Sailing on the Alma Doepel, was similar to the James Craig in so many ways. Like the James Craig, the Alma Doepel did her share of charters, day sails and weekend sail trips where people could experience living aboard a Tall Ship. However her primary purpose was to take youth on nine-day sailing voyages, and it is this aspect that I have chosen to write about, as it was quite different to anything I have experienced on the James Craig. I joined the Alma Doepel in the last two years of her life as a sail-training vessel. After an eager and rapid apprenticeship crewing on day-sails and weekend trips, I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of six leading hands on what was to become her last nine-day training voyage ~ Voyage 113. At the one time, both poignant and thrilling; it was an exhilarating taste of a sailing life that was about to end. But for now, let your imagination roam as I give you glimpses of the marvellous voyage-life aboard a youth sail-training vessel… 4 JULY 2007 FULL & BY ‘SHOT DOWN…’ BANG! CLATTER! ‘...IN A BLAZE OF GLORY…’ CLANG! CLANG! JANGLE! KDW LQFDVH\RXGLGQ¶WKHDULW ZDV Twake-up call on a nine-day voyage— blaring rock music on the ship’s emergency loudspeaker system and the loud metallic clanging of tin pot lids being banged to- gether like cymbals, by the ever-jubilant leading hands. Grinning, we would watch the trainees sleepily roll out of the 2-tiered canvas slings ranged along the ship’s sides. The trainees mumbled vaguely mutinous thoughts as they peeled off warm sleepwear, to stand, nervous and shivering, in swimsuits and board-shorts, up on deck. A brief aerobics session led by which- ever leading hand felt up to it and then the end of our grinning session ~ as it was all overboard, leading hands and trainees alike, for the morning wash. Whilst the Alma Doepel might have had sleeping berths for up to 36 trainees and 10 or so crew, she certainly didn’t have enough water to shower them, so each morning it was a jump off the top of the capping rail, (which seemed so perilously high early RQDFROGPRUQLQJ LQWR3RUW3KLOOLS%D\ (Unless of course you were one of the hapless trainees who refused to go over for us leading hands, for we had a whole trainees, undoing and bundling gasket- the side, and as an undesirable alternative crew of trainees to get motivated, and we lines by feel as we watched the sunrise over was subjected to a bucket of cold water, knew what else had to be done before any Port Phillip Bay, I wouldn’t have swapped poured with agonising slowness, by one of of us would eat. it for the world! the mates ~ a mistake that a trainee never %ULHÀ\GRZQEHORZZHZRXOGYLJRU- Job done, a last few lingering glances at PDGHWZLFH ously towel ourselves dry and crawl into the gentle sun-glinted water, and then trail- As we stood hesitating on the capping our already salt-stiffened clothing, then ing down the rigging, and into the steamy rail, the mates assured us that the water jump back up on deck before the brightest warmth of the crowded saloon. wasn’t cold—the ship’s ‘trusty’ thermom- of trainees. And when they appeared, we’d Unless of course, you were the luckless eter always told us (summer and winter VWUDSWKH¿UVWGR]HQRUVRXSLQKDUQHVVHV trainee who’d forgotten to put their mark DOLNH WKDWWKHZDWHUWHPSHUDWXUHZDV and willingly run up the windward shrouds somewhere in the night-watch book. The degrees. A breathtaking plunge, blindly into the airy loftiness of the upper and mates were scrupulously vigilant on this thrashing around in the momentarily lower topsail yards to loosen some sails point, and never failed to identify a perpe- crowded water, to get back as quickly as (whilst the others would trawl the decks trator each morning.