The Kedge Anchor; or, Young Sailors' Assistant

William Brady

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486148052
• Topic: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Subtopic: Trasporti marittimi

Immediately upon its publication in the mid-nineteenth century, this book became the Bible of U.S. sailors, who used it daily and followed its advice assiduously. The Kedge-Anchor's no-nonsense prose provided specific instruction for every aspect of sailing the great ships of the age — from knotting and rigging to blacking the guns, from stationing the crew to dealing with the direst emergencies.
The young sailor learns about stowing provisions, driving before the wind. Securing the ship for sea, and setting and shifting course. He also learns what to do in the extremities of life at sea: how to unbend a topsail in a gate and how to prepare for a hurricane; what to do if the tiller breaks, the mainmast is carried away, or the ship leaks faster than the pumps can free her. Detailed instructions explain procedures for dealing with fires, squalls, and waterspouts, what to do when the main rigging is shot away by an enemy or when a man has fallen overboard, and how to abandon ship and take to the boats when necessary.
Enhanced with 70 rare engravings, a glossary of sea terms, and 10 pages of useful tables, this hard-to-find volume is a genuine maritime classic and an unparalleled glimpse into the realities of shipboard life in the days of sail.

PART I.

We shall first commence with knotting a rope-yarn.

1.—TO KNOT ROPE-YARNS.

Take the two ends of the yarns, and split them open about two inches from the end; and if to make a smooth knot, you may scrape down a little with a knife, so as to make the ends lay smooth; you then crutch them together as you see in Plate No. 1. Take two opposite ends (leaving the other two dormant), pass one of the ends under, and the other over the standing part of the yarn, connecting them together at the same side you took them from at first; then jam your knot taut, and see if it will stand test by stretching the yarn from knee to knee, and hauling on it; if it stands without drawing, you may trim the ends, and go on.

2.—TO MAKE A FOX.

Take two or three rope-yarns and make them fast to a belaying-pin; stretch them out taut, and twist them together on your knee; then rub it down smooth with a piece of old tarred parcelling. This is called a Fox, and is used for many purposes, such as making gaskets, mats, plats, temporary seizings, bending studding-sails, &c.

3.—TO MAKE A SPANISH FOX.

Take a single rope-yarn and make one end fast as before to a belaying-pin, and untwist and twist it up again the contrary way, and rub it smooth. This is used for small seizings, &c.

4.—TO MAKE A KNITTLE.

A Knittle is made of two or three rope-yarns laid up together by hand, twisting them between the thumb and finger, and laying them up against the twist of the yarn. They are used for many purposes on board a ship, particularly for hammock clews.

5.—OVERHANDED KNOT.

To make an overhanded knot, you pass the end of the rope over the standing part and through the bight.

6.—FIGURE OF EIGHT KNOTS.

Take the end of your rope round the standing part, under its own part and through the lower bight, and your knot is made.

7.—TWO HALF-HITCHES.

Pass the end of your rope round the standing part, and bring it up through the bight—this is one half-hitch; two of these, one above the other, completes it.

8.—REEF, OR SQUARE KNOT.

First make an overhanded knot round a yard, spar, or anything you please; then bring the end being next to you over the left hand and through the bight; haul both ends taut, and it is made.

9.—A BOWLINE KNOT.

Take the end of the rope in your right hand, and the standing part in the left—lay the end over the standing part, then with your left hand turn the bight of the standing part over the end part, so as to form a cuckold’s neck on the standing part; then lead the end through the standing part above, and stick it down through the cuckold’s neck, and it will appear as in the Plate.

10.—BOWLINE ON THE BIGHT.

Take the bight of the rope in your right hand, and the standing part in the other; throw a cuckold’s neck over the bight with the standing parts, then haul enough of the bight up through the cuckold’s neck to go under and over all parts; jam all taut, and it will appear as in the Plate.

11.—A RUNNING BOWLINE.

Take the end of the rope round the standing part, through the bight, and make a single bowline upon the running part, and the knot is made.

12.—A TIMBER HITCH.

Take the end of a rope round a spar; pass it under and over the standing part then pass several turns round its own part and it is done.

13.—A FISHERMAN’S BEND.

With the end of a rope take two round turns round a spar, or through the ring of a kedge-anchor; take one half hitch around the standing parts, and under all parts of the turns; then one half hitch around the standing part above all, and stop the end to the standing part; or you can dispense with the last half hitch, and tuck the end under one of the round turns, and it becomes a studding-sail bend.

14.—A ROLLING BEND.

A rolling bend is something similar to a fisherman’s bend. It is two round turns round a spar as you see in the plate, two half hitches around the standing part, and the end stopped back.—(See Plate.)

15.—A CARRICK BEND.

This bend is more used in bending hawsers together than for any other purpose. In forming this bend you will take the end of the hawser, and form a bight, by laying the end part on the top of the standing part, so as to form a cross; take the end of the other hawser, and reeve it down through this bight, up and over this cross; then pass the end down through the bight again on the opposite side, from the other end, for one end must be on the top, and the other underneath, as you see in the plate.

If both end parts come out at the top it will be a granny’s knot. (Remember this.)

16.—A CAT’S-PAW.

This is generally used in the ends of lanyards, to hook the tackle to, in setting up rigging; to form it, you first lay the end part of the lanyard across the standing part, which will form a bight; then lay hold of the bight with one hand on each side of it, breaking it down, and turning it over from you two or three times; clap both bights together, and hook on to both parts.—(See Plate.)

17.—A SHEET OR BECKET BEND.

Pass the end of a rope through the bight of another rope, or through the becket of a block; then round both parts of the bight, or becket, and take the end under its own part, as you see in the plate. It is sometimes put under twice, a...