FROM PUTTING ON THE MIZZEN COVER TO WALKING ON A YACHT

[Clyde A. Phillips]

 

My first twenty-five years of boating was on workboats or “yachts” that were workboat built and workboat painted.  When I started working at Stowman’s shipyard I was on the “commercial gang” that worked on workboats.  Then I was transferred to the “Newporter gang” and stayed there, eventually becoming the rigger and demonstration/delivery captain.  We wore non-marking shoes and some of us wore Topsiders.  Those shoes had wavy slits across the soles and heels to give a good grip on wet decks.  Those slits also grabbed grains of sand as you walked across the yard and held them.  This didn’t affect the non-slip ability of the shoes but it was something to consider and keep in mind.

When I first became a regular on the mostly finished Newporters our yard superintendent took me out to a Newporter and showed me a mark on the caprail.  It was about four inches in diameter and included many concentric circles, right down to the pivot point.  He seemed to think it was “Workboat Clyde” that made the mark.  It probably was, but that didn’t matter.  I did need it brought to mind and he proceeded to teach me how to walk on Newporters.

It’s really simple and it is needed to protect the fine varnish job on the bright work.  First, he said, is to not walk on the rails if you can help it.  But, in situations that require standing on the rails or stepping on them when walking, you should not pivot on them; put your foot down and don’t move it until you lift it up.  If you have to pivot do you pivoting at your ankle.  Pivoting on your shoe sole puts a beautiful set of concentric circles in the varnish.  I told Bob (the yard super) that that would be difficult to remember.  He told me that every time I took a step to say to myself “yacht” until it becomes natural to do the anklepivot when around varnish.

So, from then on for a week or two it was “yacht – yacht – yacht” as I worked.  It became so natural that I would pivot on my shoe sole on workboats and at the ankle on yachts, even to this day, and that without thinking about it.  Okay, men, Forward March! Yacht - yacht – yacht – yacht.

Now you can stand on the after taftrail and put on the mizzen sail cover (but make sure the boom crutch is there).

[Clyde A. Phillips]

Glad we caught your 9 year old in time.  Now is a good time to teach the art of varnishing!  If "turning on the ankle" is a concept that's hard to learn, remember that it means "while the foot is on the rail it doesn't move."  Put it down, pick it up, and don't move it between those two actions.  Practice it on the pier--no varnish there.

[brent and leslie bandi]

Thank you for posting this!! My 9 year old likes to walk on our rails and it's doing a number on our varnish! I'm now railing against this practice :) sorry for the pun, couldn't resist.

[bob mitchell]

THAT WAS AN AWESOME POST!