How to fasten a line to a belaying pin on a real ship and model.

[Modeler12]

When I boarded a square rigged sailing ship, I asked one of the crew members to show me how to belay a line. The video below shows how this was done and how I adapted the procedure for my modeling. The technique is updated from an earlier video I showed, and now includes how I made the coils shown in the picture below.

 

The nice thing with this method is that now I don't coat the whole line with glue, only the top of the loop. This allows me to adjust the lay of the coil when installing it on the model. Since each coil is made individually, it takes me about five minutes per coil. But notice the difference between the 'old' coils (top left in the picture below) and the current ones.

 

Here is the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KztQr5Z2BdI

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Just for the record, it seems to be the fashion nowadays to hitch the coils of rope to the belaying pins, but this is not the traditional method.  In many descriptions I have read the coils are simply placed over the pin.  This was done so that when urgent action on the sail was needed, the coil could be very quickly thrown onto the deck and, yes, the coils often washed off the pins when solid water came over the rail.  This method of securing the coils has been confirmed by a friend who was at sea in sail at the very end of the commercial sailing ship era, who is very scathing of the 'hitch the coil to the pin' method and is also backed up by contemporary photos and drawings.

 

The contemporary illustrations below show what I mean.

 

John

 

Two photographs from the end of the 19th century and early twentieth century that clearly show the coils placed over the pins.

 

 

And a drawing and two photos from the mid 19th century that show the same thing.

 

 

 

[cdogg]

Dumb question, but what is different from what she did?  Are you winding the coils around the bottom to top and a circular motion so they can be lifted off the top?

Edited November 13, 2013 by cdogg

[Jim Lad]

In the photos, you'll see that the coil of rope is simply dropped over the pin - it isn't hitched to the pin by drawing a loop of rope over from behind.

 

John

[BANYAN]

Ah, but John, that is mostly 'traditional' merchant Navy routine.  In warships they would more than likely have had a hitch; the latter is still practised that way in the 'steel' Navy.  if you look in the old (and new) Admiralty Manuals of Seamanship they show it only with the hitch/loop pulled through from the standing end and over the pin, cleat or staghorn etc.  So it depends on the ship being modelled I think.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Jim Lad]

Quite possibly, Pat.  The Grey Funnel Line has always had huge crews and (usually) no urgent need to 'press on' under all possible sail, so it would make a difference to the way in which sail was carried.  Merchant ships always carried the absolute maximum sail, so in heavy conditions split seconds could mean the difference between saving or losing a sail - or the ship.

 

John

[Modeler12]

I am modeling the USS Constitution and the pictures below are of the ship as it is docked in Boston.

I cannot imagine that a Navy ship would have the lines loosely thrown over the pin as shown in John's pictures.

 

 

By having the small loop pulled through and draped over the pin, it would still be a simple matter to grab the large coil in the left hand, slip the small loop off the pin with the right hand and, voila, the whole coil is loose. Besides, I really don't think this should be called a hitch, but that is a matter of terminology.

 

[Modeler12]

Dumb question, but what is different from what she did?  Are you winding the coils around the bottom to top and a circular motion so they can be lifted off the top?

Perhaps I misunderstand your question, but the main difference between what Jackie did and my way is that I used two nails instead of hands to make the coil. I wound mine also in a counterclockwise direction and 'punched' through the loop to grab the standing line.

Of course, another major difference is that I made this out of two parts and glued the coil to the pin after the standing line was wrapped around the belaying pin.

[Tigerdvr]

Thanks for the post and video. It will be a great help with my Syren project.

 

Regards, Harley

[Q A's Revenge]

Sadly I can't view the video as it's been blocked on "copyright grounds". I don't know why in this particular case but blocking videos seems to be increasing as folks use music without permission.

[Modeler12]

Sadly I can't view the video as it's been blocked on "copyright grounds". I don't know why in this particular case but blocking videos seems to be increasing as folks use music without permission.

I was not aware that would happen. Yours must the only one as far as I know.

To prevent that from happening, I removed the music and here is the video again without the music:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSKKMEW7yY

 

and the old version with the music:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KztQr5Z2BdI

 

I hope that helps.

[Geoff Matson]

Thanks for you post Jay. It will help me when I get to that part on my Conny.

[bhermann]

Jay -

 

Thanks for adding the section on how you do the model coils.  Very clear and very helpful.  Now i just need to find the Bos'n and see how large he makes his coils

 

Thanks,

Bob

[Q A's Revenge]

I was not aware that would happen. Yours must the only one as far as I know.

To prevent that from happening, I removed the music and here is the video again without the music.

 

 

I hope that helps.

Thanks for that, I can view the one without music now!

[jud]

The loop over the pin would be a guide on which side should be up if dropping the coil on deck, get the wrong side up and what a tangled weave we would make, get the right side up and the line would run off the coils without kinks or twisting.

jud.

[paul ron]

That is fine when you are stoing a short line. What about when you have 50 or more feet of line on deck when a sail or mast has been raised?

 

When i spent some time on a schooner, we learned how to stow rope in a balentine on the deck since this wold be the most efficiant anti fouling method.

 

Was the balentine used this way on Clippers n other sail ships?

[jud]

For instant running, flaking or the forming a balentine of overlapping coils would be workable,  leaving either one lying on deck, over time, they would probably get fouled.

jud

[Jim Lad]

Just out of interest, this contemporary painting from 1775 of HMS Deal Castle might put the pristine neatness of naval ships decks and ropes into perspective.  I particularly like the goat free on deck!

 

John

 

 

 

[JerseyCity Frankie]

I remember reading a discussion/argument about Balentiine coils on ship models, it was on a website whos name I can not remember. Everyone agreed Balentines were right and good on a ship but there was a question raised about how far back in time they were in use. Probably a question that could never be answered? I don't remember ever reading the term in any book on rigging, I only learned about Balentines from actual sailing. They certainly make the best use of space on deck in that they concentrate more line in the same space a round coil would take up by using the inner area of the coil. This same density makes them more resistant to accidental jarring, they hold their shape longer and can take a bit more abuse. The nested nature of their interlocking coils makes them more reliable for running without fouling.

[paul ron]

Hahaha, that might hsve been me asking ladt year n never got an answer.

 

I'm building the Flying Fish clipper n have some riggs up n the amt of actual line on deck would be imposable to put on a pin.

 

Besides it is working rigging so it would need to be ready to work.

 

Thus my question last year concerning balentines we used on the schooner i once sailed.

 

Surprised the goat hadn't eatten the ropes in that picture.... Very tidy deck... Maybe balentines?