Busy weekend

This weekend proved to be quite busy, with lots of travel, time in the shop, suit and tie, coveralls - I ran the whole gammot. Saturday morning I took advantage of a nice lull to visit Historic Jamestowne and their Military Through the Ages (MTA) program, and met up with some friends there. I was amazed to be asked about this blog by about a half dozen people - sometimes it amazes me that people actually read this - and two of them ventured guesses about what we have in the works, and were correct. It's not that hard to figure it out, I promise - but remember the first rule of Fight Club.

I'm guessing no more than two people get the movie reference - even when I use the title. Facepalm.

Despite celebrating five years of living in the Hampton Roads area, this was my first MTA and I have to say I was very impressed. Each group seemed to be interacting with the crowd very well, and keeping their attention. And although there is no 'fight' or reenactment to speak of, the demonstrations of burning powder etc are more in line with what reenactors ought to do. Contrived scenarios and pretending to die by falling down silently are getting rather old hat, afterall. But the great mix of interests, hands-on demonstrations and spectator involvement was tremendous, and should be used as a model for other 'living history' style events everywhere.

If there was one thing about reenactors/living history types that bother me, its people that get very serious about doing it. Dress up in costume - check. Pretend to be someone else - check. No sense of humor when a spectator (me) does a Brad Pitt impression "we're here for one thing and one thing only - killing Naaazies" in front of the SS camp - fail. Chill out, guys - and humor the crowd if they (or me) crack a joke. You represent the 'bad guys' - own it.

I was also taken aback at the Soviet Red Army station when I met up with the bubba who portrays Lord Dunmore every year at Great Bridge. Although he was dressed as a Red Army surgeon I repeatedly called him Comrade Governor - I don't think he made the connection that I knew him from Great Bridge, and consequently didn't seem amused.

Maybe my sense of humor needs a tweak - I dunno.

BT

With the onset of good weather, we've cleared the Framing Bay and moved the Hornet model out there for some team driven efforts - volunteers needed so come on out! We have some mudding, painting, gluing - all of which will be explained. Suffice it to say that the model is like a parade float - correct shape and 1:12 scale - but weighs about 10 lbs soaking wet (which I hope it will never be) - being constructed of foam, scultamold and joint compound. The lower mast sections, made of wood, each weigh more than the whole hull - its a good thing we left access ports in the underside to add ballast.

Work on Monomoys No. 2 and 3 have halted - on purpose. They are part of the master plan, so not to worry. Nothing like putting all of your eggs in one basket, then putting the basket next to the Liquid Evil Generator. Fighter pilots aren't the only ones who like living in the danger zone.

Ahhhh... no.

It's Monday and already the jokes are stale - gripes!

NNNN

What I like about you

I suppose I've been in the mood for ranting lately, though I'm not sure why. I hate being the constant critic but it's hard not to say something about those glaring, nagging issues. So in all fairness - and for a spirit of proper balance - I should bring up a few GOOD things, and highlight somebody we appreciate. After all, it's the small partnerships and cooperatives that really make this hobby worthwhile.

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On that note, I spoke to John "Dutch" Collamore a few days ago. He's been one of the champions of the Luna project over at the Colonial Seaport Foundation. If you haven't heard of these people, I highly recommend checking out their site and blog. They are great folks, very welcoming and friendly, and we always have some sort of fun back-and-forth idea sharing and joint activities. According to John, the Foundation is having a fundraiser at the Half Moon Cruise Teminal (next to Nauticus) on Wednesday December 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. I know I'll be there! Good luck all!

I also want to point out that the Luna project, unlike Schooner Virginia, is being wholly supported by volunteers. Like NHS, they have NO PROFESSIONAL STAFF - so every dollar of your donations goes directly to support programming - not paying the administrators. Operations like this are self-sustaining because they are driven by the passion and outright selflessness of their participants and donors.

You guys motivate me - keep it up!

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BT

In other news, last night I spent a few hours getting the lines for the Monomoy keels laid out. The thought process here is to procuce two of each part, stems, stem knees, sternpost, sternpost knees and keels, all at once. After all, with as hard as we like to drive our boats, having solid backbones will be a serious concern, and we want to be sure that everything is as solid as possible. The keels are 20' 8" long each, and will be laminated into their curved 'banana' shapes using 3/4" lifts of clear white oak. This was found to be much cheaper than jumping through our asses (pardon my Anglo Saxon) to secure clear solid timbers. They should also be more stable.

The stems, sternposts and associated knees will be likewise laminated in the manner of sawn frames, using 1/4" plywood templates as cutting guides. Once cut to within about 1/4" of the template and smoothed, paper templates will be glued to both sides and the finish cuts made to those lines. The paper that remains (which won't be much) can be scraped off later once the parts are complete.

The lamination of all 10 pieces (5 per boat) will begin this weekend, and will likely occur simultaneously. I hope to have all of them ready for cutting by next weekend, as the next step toward our December 15 finish goal.

Anyone in the area who feels up for some work this afternoon, I'll likely be out picking up stock at Yukon Lumber and bringing it back to the stickers. Assume a departure of about 1600. More updates via Twitter later on.

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Costumes and ORM

I had a number of interesting conversations lately with historians, reenactors and like minded people (note, I use all these terms loosely to convey the basic idea) many of which have gravitated toward historical clothing, and the NHS vision of how and when to use it. A great many people in the reenacting hobby have wondered why we now abandon our costumes at more than half of our events, and others, why we specifically mandate historical anachronisms where in many cases it would be easier just to follow historical precedent. The answer is not so simple - or at least not for those folks in the hobby.

Before I continue I want to put my standard disclaimer out there - for my reenactor and living historian readers and people of that general ilk - there are many ways to interpret this hobby, and each has its merits. I am in no way insisting that ours is the best, it is just what works for us. I am glad to see such diverse interests converge on a subject that, thanks to the faults of our modern educational system, is the better for having any attention brought to it. Keep on truckin' guys.

The NHS philosophy regarding costumes is a simple matter of ORM, or Operational Risk Management.

Throughout history, the jobs that sailors and marines did was arduous, difficult and hazardous. Those jobs today are fraught with danger, even in regular operation. Something as simple as slipping and falling in a boat, or on a dock, can cause a participant to go home with broken bones or worse. Leather soled shoes slip easily in boats and on wet surfaces, bare feet pick up splinters from pressure treated wooden docks (a particularly nasty hazard, considering the wounds become inflamed and infected almost immediately), wool clothing absorbs water and can drown a participant who falls overboard. I could go on all day - I've dedicated literally DAYS to thinking about this.

That's not to say we have no controls to implement. There are two general schools of thought here - one, to slow the pace of operations, or two, to neutralize hazards.

Most missions of historical sailors and marines CAN be executed wearing period clothing, and there are many other groups out there who demonstrate that this can be done. The reenacted crew of HM Sloop Otter comes to mind - we see them at Great Bridge every year. They all have great kits, and a boat, and incorporate both. The Ship's Company is another great example - and there are many others. They all do this exceptionally well.

From observation, many of these groups implement controls on the hazards by keeping the pace slow. If - when boarding their boat for instance - they move more slowly, it gives each person more time to monitor their own safety and allows leaders to supervise more closely. There is a great deal of oversight involved, and I believe I would be safe in saying that they have few personnel casualties because of the level of caution.

On the other hand, this does restrict the operational tempo. Additionally, many hazards might be beyond the capabilities of the group to adapt and overcome, due to the natural speed and progression of events. Open water operations in small boats comes to mind - where wave, weather and currents can require a quick response and where a crew is not focused on the minute hazards, but the timely execution of an action. In such instances, certain concessions need to be made to maintain an op. tempo that permits completion of these tasks - namely giving the crew certain comforts that permit them liberty to move quickly and not worry about the small hazards, and focus on the big ones. We would not have been within acceptable risk limits crossing Chesapeake Bay in period costume, for instance.

How was this done, historically, you might ask? How did they keep a high op. tempo while using this stuff? The answer is by constant repetition and familiarization with a way of life that is - materially speaking - almost completely foreign today. We COULD solve this by immersing ourselves in the period details on a daily basis, but that obviates the function of all this as a hobby, and not a lifestyle. And since our real lives are more lucrative and fulfilling, I'm sure few of us are prepared to diverge to that route any time soon.

Shoes are a great example of this. Period shoes are not only slippery but don't fare well when immersed in water. Historical sailors and marines who knew no different learned to balance and tread carefully with great proficiency - they had to, they wore them every day. We don't have that luxury - I think few people do. That being the case, the standard for NHS sailors and marines are the standard Navy-issue steel-toed rubber-soled boots. The advent of the NWU and new standardized boots means that almost everyone has an old pair of boots kicking around that can be used and abused in the name of NHS efficiency. And despite their weight, they have proven easier to swim in than most historical footwear.

We also have a new trend emerging that also has full NHS administrative support, and that is the use of Five Finger Shoes. These shoes conform to the foot of the wearer, toes and all, to permit a greater range of motion, feel and control, and force the wearer to use muscle groups in the feet that are underutilized with the wear of conventional shoes. It is the closest and safest alternative to barefoot we permit, and makes for interesting conversation.

Now, I'm sure most people know we could argue about this for weeks and have no resolution. I do enjoy debating the subject with others, so please feel free to contact me any time - there is always room to adopt, adapt and improve. And remember, I'm not saying that anyone is wrong - we are all different, and have different priorities.

I for one find that fantastic and exciting.

NNNN

Brig Niagara underway!

Since my first stint on board the Brig Niaraga last fall, I've been following her with great enthusiasm. Despite the best efforts of her remarkable crew and office staff, she is little known in the navy. And little known is an understatement. The fact that Oliver Hazzard Perry's flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie is afloat and sailing today is amazing in and of itself (more on that in a minute) but the fact that nobody in the navy really knows about it or cares to do anything once they find out is even more astonishing.

For those of you who are not familiar, the original Niagara was built in 1813 at Presque Isle - today Erie, Pennsylvania. After the famous battle where Perry reported "We have met the enemy and they are ours" she was laid up and sunk (yes, sunk!) to preserve her timbers in the cold muddy waters of a place called Misery Bay in case she should be needed again. Raised in 1913 to celebrate the centennial of the War of 1812, she was kept in Erie as a display piece and poorly cared for. Several restorations ensued, but the final restoration in 1988 was the only real long-term preservation effort. There, she was completely rebuilt by a crew led by Melbourne Smith in historically correct methods. Now - on that score - the ORIGINAL ship was hauled out, dissassembled, and the ship rebuilt. To me, that means that she is the original ship, restored. Others, including the National Parks Service claim that because the only original timbers remaining after the restoration were used in non-structural areas, she is a replica. Sorry, but I have to raise the BS flag on that one. She is as much the original as is USS CONSTITUTION, the Navy's very own "grandfather's hatchet". We replaced the head three times and the handle twice but it's still grandfather's hatchet. But I digress.

Today, Niagara sails out of the port where she was built almost 200 years ago. People can pay to sail in day classes or for extended periods aboard her and get the most hands-on experience of life in the Age of Sail that exists. Learn to handle lines, climb the rig - for crying out loud you even cook on a wood-burning stove and sleep in hammocks! It is utterly and completly AWESOME and I urge every single person who has an interest or has ever had an interest in fighting sail to GET YOUR KIESTER OFF YOUR CHAIR AND DOWN TO HER BERTH, ASAP! You will not regret a journey of any length nor anything you have to put off to see her - guaranteed.

Even the museum that was built around and for her in Erie is amazing. Inside, one of the best displays is a reconstructed side of the ship, which they took out to a firing range and actually shot at with the ship's guns. Battle damage and all, the recreated side is on display with a full summary and explanation of each shot hole and shattered timber - along with a video of the destruction. It is incredible, and something you won't find anywhere else. Because that's how they roll.

Today, Niagara is underway on her annual shakedown, ready for another season. To her crew: rock on, guys, I hope to return and join you soon! To NHS members and the navy at large: read, learn, support - get hot!

And in the words of Perry's Battle Flag - "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"


- Will

Playing nice together - OR - dude I'm not going near that guy.

Aside from our scheduled trainning session this past Saturday I also volunteered to join another crew on Sunday for the 400th reenactment of settlers landing at Hampton, VA. John Collamore of the Colonial Seaport Foundation coxswained the shallop Explorer for the event.

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Altogether the event was rather small - being principally made up of only a handfull of reenactors ashore. However, we in the shallop had fun. Separate from the rest of the speeches and festivities, we waited patiently with our cargo of three settlers waiting to land. We got underway from the marina at Fort Monroe and stood out the short distance to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, where we anchored on the North side for about an hour. Then we picked up and shifted to the other side of the bridge and anchored again. All the while, we had a relaxing afternoon in the shallop, talking and joking around. Conversation ranged from sea storiesfrom the various sea service vets present to a discussion of vampire hunters in 17th century Europe. Being around these folks - mostly from Blackbeard's Crew and the Crew of the Archangel - is always interesting and highly enjoyable.

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So finally our moment in the sun came. Dutch (the afore mentioned John Collamore) got a cell phone call coordinating our landing, and in we went. We landed on the beach at Strawberry Banks without a problem, and just as everyone looked up to see the crowd, we realized that the biggest Indian (can I say that? or is it Native American. No offense intended) anyone had ever seen is standing on the beach with a spiked club. Of course he was there to 'greet' us as part of the scripted friendly landing but whoa geez was that guy huge. And I'm 6'5"! There was a collective moment where everyone kind of looked at everyone else and said, "you go first". I mean seriously, talk about one of those "flash" moments - imagine what that would have been like to land at for real. We knew he wasn't going to use the club, but crap - I mean this is the kind of person that can only be characterized as a serial crusher, a huge frickin guy [hear Boondock Saints]. The worst part is that I'm sure he's completely awesome - for those of us in the boat crew, we may never know.

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We got underway as soon as we'd dropped off our three "settlers" and stood off shore about a hundred yards - aiming to run West the quarter mile to the Hampton River and the marina that would haul us out. Afterward, we all dropped by Marker 20 in downtown Hampton for a few drinks and an early dinner.

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All in all, I spent a highly enjoyable afternoon with some great people.

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Lessons learned:

1. Don't let the huge guy with the spiked club smell your fear.

2. Going to a random event once in a while can be a lot of fun - even if it's not your group you go with!

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Thanks again, guys - it was fun. Big guy - if you read this, get in touch! And not with the club please - send an email!

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Will