Posted by Alex Forbes on August 07, 2003 at 01:00:30 from 67.75.199.200 user Pitsligo.
In Reply to: Re: English Reef Points? posted by David Bamford on August 06, 2003 at 22:24:48:
"He may, of course, have been thinking to backsplice the ends, but then he would hardly sit down with some small stuff and whip them as well."
And backsplicing the ends of reef nettles would make them miserable to take out, especially if they were wet and swollen. It would remove the one good use of the reef knot's dangerous trick of capsizing. I can't see Commander Walker teaching that to his son --or AR having learned it by accident.
Just to fantasize, what sail training vessel might Commander Walker have served aboard? I've usually seen the eye-at-one-end nettles on bigger ships, particularly square-rigged vessels, and it seems that might be something Ted carried over into dinghies. The loose bunt of a dinghy's reefed sail doesn't really need the mechanical advantage of the eye-at-one-end nettles, but early training is strong training... Thence he might have passed the trick on to his son. What sail training vessels did the RN have in service about the time of S&A? Or about the time Cadet Walker might have been starting his naval career?
Alex