Monday, February 15, 2010

Many things in sailmaking should not be discussed in front of children


So the day before yesterday I stopped in to see another local sailmaker. I wanted to inquire about borrowing a few things, and in exchange I brought a bucket of pine tar. TANGENT - I've decided to make pine tar car air fresheners in the form of a mini-monkey's fist. The bucket made my car smell that terriffic! But I digest...

The conversation with the local sailmaker started out inocent enough - "can I borrow a rubber?" He thought nothing of it, I thought nothing of it. The parents of the children running around stood agape just out of my view. "I'm done seaming her up and I need to give her a real good going over."

"Sure, Will. I have several that I've used before" he said "they're better fitted to my hand but once you start the back and forth you'll be fine with it." There was a slight wretch from the parents as he dug through a dirty cabinet looking for it.

Well, I walked out with the rubber I needed, which is a hardwood block ergonomically shaped and smoothed for rubbing down seams and folds in canvas - I've been using a large polished rock with limited success. And it only cost me about a pint of pine tar... and part of my good name. Because what I didn't see was the parents angrily leading their children out of the shop (what were they doing there anyway?) before they could find out what we were talking about.

The joys of finishing the seaming - about half the work in making - the Monomoy's dipping lug sail, were completely overshadowed by the 'oh s*&t' factor. I'm a bad person, what can I say?

Will

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