We have four of those "stations" on the ship. Each consists of 3 blocks of varying sizes, all mounted pivot-able on a common axle.
Each block is for a brace. A brace out here is a line/rope that will pull a yard and thereby altering the angle of a sail in relation to the ships hull. That way you can adjust the sails to perform if you alter the course.
These particular braces blocks are located on the port side on the main deck, and are connected to the three lower sails on the fore mast.
The lower sail is named the "Fore sail", and its brace is "fore brace".
The sail just above is the "Fore lower topsail", and its brace is " fore lower topsail brace"
The third sail from the deck is the "Fore upper topsail", and its brace is "fore upper topsail brace" (what a surprise!)
The block for the fore sail brace is the biggest one, it measures 12" in height, 15.5" in length and it is 4.75" thick.
All three blocks are made out of mahogany.
Port fwd braces blocks station.
After sunset
The author of this blog
(we had a pirate cruise for kids today)
Wow! Beautiful. I was going to ask if you could show some blocks.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised they are made out of mahogany. I thought the preferred wood for blocks was elm (elm is such a nice wood).
You really look happy to be dressed up for the kids. Did you turn your own pegleg?
Elm is indeed such a nice wood!
DeleteMost of the blocks are made out of ash, it is just those that are part of the braces block station that are mahogany, and perhaps a few others if I look thoroughly. But the majority is ash.
I considered turning a peg leg, but I ended up discarding the idea out of good old fashioned laziness!
I must have looked convincing, because one little girl asked me deeply concerned about what had happened to my eye.
Brgds
Jonas
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJonas,
ReplyDeleteThanks, beautiful work but having owned smaller sail boats I know how much work it is to keep 'em that way.
ken
Hi Ken
DeleteThanks for the nice comment.
I can't really claim to be helping in keeping that part of the ship nice, but someone does a lot of varnishing and polishing.
The picture would have looked less cluttered if we weren't in port, but I thought that it might be stretching the goodwill a bit too far from my shipmates to ask them to sail out onto the sea just so I could get some pretty pictures.
Brgds
Jonas
Arg Arg nice pirate, almost spilled my drink when I read Brian asking if you turned your own peg :-)
ReplyDeleteIm sure there are a lot of amazing details in wood on such a vessel
keep them coming
Bob, with Rudy
Hi Bob.
DeleteThanks for the nice comment.
Our Captain called out for the welcome on board over the PA system with a spooky sounding HO HO HO, Arg Weeeerrlcooommee all little pirates etc. It almost scared me :-)
There are so many details that it is hard to decide which one to look at. Today I just discovered that the two staircases we have in the aft ship are not as identical as I first assumed.
The lower front pillars of the lower staircase are just a bit smaller than the next set for the upper staircase. And stuff like that is so fun to see, because it means that someone long time ago really put some thought into the execution of the project.
Brgds
Jonas