Maritime
Above: the 'Speedwell Lightship'. Photo by Frank Watson
See also the 'Estuary Project' page for details of Germander's ongoing Thames Estuary project.
60 WAYS TO LURE A FLOUNDER
The lurid and curious names of fishing lures.
"...Sinking minnows, surface lures; jerkbaits, jigs, spinners, spoons and chuggers:
Heckham Peckham, Reckless William, Mulberry Bumble, Devon Dumpling..."
LOADINGS
Trade conveyed via the Thames Estuary today (from the Soundings from the Estuary project).
"...Ballast and bitumen, cement clinker and gypsum, pallets of bricks and waste silt for landfill;
Contaminated waste, granulated slag, bottom furnace ash and ironstone hoggin..."
LANDINGS
Shipping movements in the Thames Estuary today (from the Soundings from the Estuary project).
RIX CONDOR to Rotterdam, STOLT GANNET from Belgium, STAR EAGLE to Bremen, and MARTIN passing parliament;
BRAVERY to Belfast, AUDACITY at the Oaze, ENDEAVOUR to sea for orders, and HERO to Northfleet Hope..."
LOADING LINES
Occupations, activity and apparatus of the dockyards of the Thames and Medway.
"...Cabin keepers, ballast heavers,
Scuffle hunters, carrot-crunchers,
Oakum pickers, coal-whippers,
Hog grubbers and rat-catchers..."
COMPLIMENTS TO HEART'S CONTENT
Written for the Atlantic Basin Project - see www.atlanticbasinproject.com. This piece follows the route of the Atlantic telegraph cable, from Valentia Island in Ireland, across the Atlantic seabed to Heart's Content in Newfoundland.
See Look and Listen page for recording.
"...A land of Happy Adventure and telling nomenclature:
Come-by-Chance, Run-by-Guess and Blow-me-down
Quidi Vidi fishing village, the whalebones at Dildo..."
COD SMACKS AND CATCH SMASHES
Fishing and shellfishing in the Thames Estuary.
"...Clam digging, shrimp dragging
Cockle raking and winkle picking,
Catch smashes and riddle rejects..."
THE RHYME OF THE WAYWARD MARINER
A playful collage of nautical terminology, shanty songs, maritime and modern culture.
"...To the poop-deck, jib-boom, snap head and butt joint,
The parrel tackle, joggle shackle, barrack stanchion and anchor shank..."
IN HIS MAJESTY'S SERVICE
A collection of curious, surprising, and aggressive names of British naval ships, these ones being especially from the 19th & 20th centuries.
"...Destroyers named Cheerful, Vanity and Vivacious
But there's no mistaking the destination, of HMS Devastation..."
THE END OF THE ADVENTURE
Romantic, ambitious and unfortunate ship names, with their fates and misadventures.
"...The scuttling of the Implacable, the wrecking of the Impregnable,
The sinking of the Invincible, the grounding of the Indefatigable..."
WHAT KNOT? (see below for full version)
Nautical knots and ropework.
"...A cuckold's neck; gouty ends
A locking tuck to a becket bend
A snuggle hitch or a strangle knot..."
ESTUARY ENGLISH - see Place Names page
MERMAIDS' PURSES - see Flora and Fauna page
What Knot?
(Nautical knots and ropework)
Fisherman’s fender, oysterman’s stopper
Sailmaker’s taper and rigger’s whipping
Constrictor knot, slippery hitch
A slip knot for a lizard;
Eye splice, inside clinch
Elliptical sinnet and English cringle,
Locket lanyard and blubber toggle.
A long short splice and double half-knot
Invisible stitch and impossible knot;
A bunch of bees
Cackling and latching
Sallie tufting and transom lashing.
A cuckold’s neck, gouty ends
A locking tuck to a becket bend
A snuggle hitch, or a strangle knot
And a seizing bend at the bitter end.
But the true lovers' knot, is not to be trusted
For a knot is not a promise, and only as strong as its knotter is.
Gut knot, knob knot
Lock knot, slip knot
Stopper knot, strop knot –
Which knot, but a whatknot?
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With thanks to the encyclopedic (620 full size pages!) and artistic (fully illustrated!) Ashley Book of Knots,
by Clifford W. Ashley, published by Faber & Faber
SELECT GLOSSARY:
•Gouty ends - swelled and weathered ends of rope.
•Slip knot for a lizard – a knot for passing a type of pennant/flag called a lizard.
•Blubber toggle – as suggested by its name, is used by whalers.
•Bunch of bees – ropes left in a tangle.
•Bitter end – the end of an anchor cable which is attached to the ‘bitts’ on deck
•True Lover’s Knot – surprisingly despite its name, this is not actually a very strong knot, but then
again, according to the popular reputation of sailors, neither does true love prove to be very binding
at sea! This knot is also deceptively similar to the False Lover’s Knot - see illustration above.
•Whatknot - this knot is described as more of a rope trick than a useful or practical knot.
© Germander Speedwell March 2006
Can you tell which of these disconcertingly
similar knots is the true lover's knot and
which is the false lover's knot?
Answer at the bottom of the page.
Answer to knot query above:
The true lover's knot is the top one (2301) and the false lover's knot is the lower one (2302).
Test this on your your special lady/gentleman friend, to ascertain the sincerity of their affection.
