The SquareRigger

29/09/2024

28 September 2013 -- the Whiskey Plank is fitted!

On this day, 28 September 2013 – a mere 11 years ago- the last “whisky” plank of over 19,000 sq. ft. of old growth Douglas fir was driven home and fastened in place.

Being director of ELISSA for almost 6 years had many challenges, but far more successes... the new fo’c’sle head, fo’c’sle, main, and p**p decks were one of them. I was so proud of that job. It was a tremendous amount of work in both planning and ex*****on of renewing decking for the National Historic Landmark vessel 1877 barque ELISSA after her extensive hull restoration. I hope the deck being cared for better than the condition I saw it on my visit last year ... that was a lot of work and planning laying a new deck! It would be next to impossible to source the same high quality 30-40 growth rings per inch of vertical grain old growth Douglas Fir.

Here is a link to a PowerPoint presentation I made as director about the renewal of ELISSA's decks 11 years ago.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.582339275145869&type=3

12/08/2024

Here is a short video about the HMAV BOUNTY replica that I had the good fortune to sail aboard for three years. I began my square-rigger career aboard this fine ship and learned from many wonderful shipmates and from Captain Roger Morris. I will remain forever grateful for the day BOUNTY and her crew crossed my wake. Thankfully she is still afloat and awaiting for someone or a syndicate of voyaging adventurous folks to refit her at her berth in Thailand and get underway again!

In Bligh's Wake - This documentary charts the voyage from New Zealand to Tahiti of a replica of the HMS Bounty, destined to be the star of Kiwi director Roger Donaldson’s film of the famous mutiny. The boat was built in Whangerei from The Bounty’s original Admiralty plans, commissioned for an un...

03/08/2024

All set up for the Galilee Harbor Maritime Days!
Come on down to 300 Napa Street in Sausalito and say hello 👋

04/07/2024

Happy Fourth of July! Let’s try to make it to the 249th celebration next year as free citizens and not subjects!

One of my favorite “Fourth of July” celebrations was spent at the US Consulate General residence in Edinburgh back in 1998 during my year leading the rigging restoration of the 1896 barque GLENLEE in Glasgow.

I love Scotland and thought how uniquely Scottish to have a drink of Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Kentucky Bourbon with Ronald McDonald.

30/06/2024

Nothing quite as relaxing as sitting on a warm sailmakers bench repairing a fore topsail at anchor in Tahiti...

23/06/2024

Still life memories of sailing aboard HMAV BOUNTY with ditty bag, h**p main stay, and Cat o' Nine Tails.

I made the ditty bag from scrap Scottish flax canvas and the Cat o' Nine Tails and ditty bag handle from a section of shroud laid h**p from her old mizzen lower shrouds all from the New Zealand built HMAV BOUNTY built for the 1984 film "The BOUNTY".

02/06/2024

This photo is was once commonplace in New York and other harbors around the world. Two large commercial Cape Horn deepwaterman square-riggers beside each other.

During the restoration of the 1885 full rigged ship WAVERTREE, the mighty 1911 four masted barque PEKING passed close aboard WAVERTREE as she was being towed to a berth near WAVERTREE. If you are curious about the superb restoration of PEKING please visit the following page:
Viermastbark PEKiNG -de Hamborger Veermaster

22/05/2024

I made this knot board for the Presidio Yacht Club overlooking the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge while I was the historic ships rigger foreman aboard the 1886 BALCLUTHA in San Francisco over twenty years ago.

My "working" ditty bag is in the photo for scale. The ditty bag is 14" tall. The most fun was turning in a Liverpool wire splice on a piece of 1/4" wire at the middle left of the frame. Every bitter end has a proper needle and palm whipping.

I was a member while working at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and enjoyed having my sailboat berthed at one of the most beautiful marinas in California.

02/05/2024

A rigging plan and a pin rail diagram from the HMAV BOUNTY replica built for the 1984 film "The Bounty". I still could probably find every line aboard her now after sailing aboard her for three years. Some things are hard to forget... like fore course clew garnets and my shipmates.
P.S. The only thing very easy to forget are the bloody bowlines!

29/04/2024

Decided I would cover a hole created by the removal of a coaxial cable outlet. For several months I debated what to use and decided to make a plaque holding a section of the 1 3/8" (35mm) diameter 6x7 fiber core double Mil spec galvanized wire rope we had made for the The Tall Ship Glenlee, a handsome barque built in 1896. The total amount of wire rope used in the restoration was over 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) to bring her back to her Cape Horn configuration.

29/03/2024

Several folks have PM me as to how to turn in a splice Liverpool fashion as I showed in my previous post on splicing wire rope for the brigantine Matthew Turner. I developed my method of splicing from Steve Hyman and from the late Brion Toss of Brion Toss Yacht Riggers. Steve was the master rigger one of the finest historic sailing ship restorations - the restoration of the 1877 barque ELISSA and Brion spent some time helping out and learned Steve's method of dealing with the first tuck of strand #6.

I do miss my old friend Brion Toss and his horrible puns...which were almost as bad as mine, but a grateful that my rigging mentor Steve Hyman is still around to spin some rigger yarns with and to tout my beloved LA Dodgers against his San Francisco Giants.

If you too are interested in how I turn in a Liverpool splice ("Riddle of the Strands" or clap on a wire seizing (Seize the Stay), please use the following link:
“Riddle of the Strands” and "Seize the Stay".
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XP3QMKR?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

This link leads to a video preview of the book: The Riddle of the Strands – The Liverpool Eye Splice Revealed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y873XruygaM

If you purchase the book(s) please leave a review to let me know how to improve them. I really enjoy passing along the marlingspike traditions and craft I have gathered over my 40 year career.

“Every finger a marlingspike, every hair a rope yarn and blood of Stockholm Tar!” is the traditional description of the ship’s bosun. In this book, master ri...

05/03/2024

A few weeks ago, Gretchen and Jim Butler, two good friends of ours, visited for lunch at our house in Sea Ranch after they went to Gualala Arts Center to drop off two of Gretchen’s paintings for an art show. Jim is a prince of a fellow with a big heart and spirit. He was a Fire Controlman (FC) rate in the US Navy and served aboard the USS Charles F. Adams for almost four years in the late 1960s. His memory about some things may be fading, yet his recall of his time abord the USS Charles F. Adams is as sharp as the creases in a US Navy sailor’s jumper. During our visit, Jim told me tales of his time aboard the Adams and lamented that he did not have any photos of her to show me.

I believe every sailor should have a photo of his ship and sweetheart… so an idea was born.

Later that evening, I found a post card on eBay in great condition of the Charles F. Adams and decided to make a sennit frame as a gift to Jim. I knew that they would return in several weeks to pick up Gretchen’s paintings at the Gualala Art Center and to have lunch with us again. So, after receiving the post card, I set about making a fancy sennit frame to serve as a worthy commemoration for a ship so dear to him.

This afternoon Gretchen and Jim returned and when I gave Jim his gift, I saw in his eyes a young sailor smiling. His first words were “that’s my ship…my ship.” Thank you, Jim, for your service to our great country and for your warm friendship.