In my mind there is no doubt : possibly it may be a
practical
knot .
I hope this 'investigation' indicates that it is indeed a plausible
practical knot.
These ( one,
two,
three,
four
) models from Le Musée National de la Marine in
Paris show that it was usual for ships to carry spare masts
in
the
17th and 18th.
In Concarneau ( Brittany ) in Le Musée de la Pêche I
found some 'simple' rigs that make the Jury rig plausible 'in
the field' or rather 'at sea'...
First two drawings
(low light and the need to respect as far as
possible the "no photography" signs, even if I got
tolerance made photographies the second choice over
attentive drawing, though I am no artist. The
more so because the use of a flash would have been impolite
towards other visitors.) are from an old traditional
fishing boat of Le Golfe du Morbihan. : un canot à misaine
/ mizain sloop (?)
Last three drawings are of 'une baleinière des
Açores' / Azorean whale boat (akin to the Bedford's ones I
am told ) .
You will note that there is no abutment, it is just the
irregularity of the mast, the ever so slight taper and the tension
that keep it in place.
Both boats are authentic pieces of the early 20th for the
mizain sloop and 19th/20th for the whaler that actually killed
whales.
It was a killing instrument and no museum
piece in the first part of its life.
As for the mizain sloop it show much signs of having worked heavily.
It was then, at that time and in these activities, essential that most
of the time and attention on board could be
devoted to the fishing or the hunt and that the manoeuvre of rigging be
kept at the minimal level.
ANOTHER MISS OF ABoK ?
NOEUD DE RABAN DE CUL DE CHALUT / COD END KNOT/COD
LINE
KNOT
Noeud de raban de cul de chalut is literally "
Trawl's ass's roband knot
No impropriety there.
It is the very
official appellation that figures in European Directives for Fishing !
Directives allow that the roband may be unique or multiple but
make it compulsory that the knot be a "quick
release" to be undone
just by pulling on
its tails..
The 'cul de
chalut', cod-end,
is the bag or pouch end part of a trawl.
When it has
been pulled on board undoing this special knot that kept it
closed during the trawling time allow the catch to be emptied
on the deck to be immediately
"treated".
April 2006, Brittany, Douarnenez, I met with this picture, small, badly
focused
with no diagram accompanying it. (I learned later that it is from a
Chasse-Marée book)
It
is quite different
from the knot the Anglo-saxon
appear to use that I found
evoked at
that time on the Net on fishery sites as a chain like zipper but
without depiction.
A depiction of which I am not all that
sure
that it has
been verified in the field can be
found on a quality site : Roo's
September
2006 Brittany, CONCARNEAU
with a stupendous
Musée de la
Pêche,
more than a third of a century old, in la Ville
Close,
conceived by locals.
(this is the first fishing harbour of France by
the tonnage sold in 'La Halle à Marée' : the professional market ).
Only authentic pieces or documentation are allowed there, no fantasy,
these men are
living
by, with and from the sea. They are very proud of their museum and
of its library which boast one
of the very scarce
original edition of Traité Général de
la Pesche by DUHAMEL DU MONCEAU.
No diagram is exposed and none of my two helpers at the
Musée, M. LECUIR 'General secretary and jack of all trades'
and M. BECHUT the Directeur was able to
give me the diagram, the knot having been made by a professional
trawler man.
They get here my renewed thanks.
I can certify to any one being
in Western Europe that this Museum is
well worth the visit .
You will learn a mass of things about fishing and
boats.
Using this set of photographies I 'imagined' this diagram.(
kind implicit tolerance
to shot them as I was seen while making good use of paper,
pencil and school book to draw and take notes here an there. -
not only were they kind about that but they gave me an outstandingly
friendly
help and
bent backward to help me. For instance I got , without
having a RV, to be
let alone with the fabled Traité des Pesches (now it is
Pêches as the "s" became " ^") written by one outstanding
mind of "Le Siècle des Lumières" / The Enlightment period, DUHAMEL DU
MONCEAU )
Some few days after coming back from my trip to Concarneau serendipity
made it that I happened
to find two books :
- - -" Le Chalut' ( The Trawl ) 1964 2nd edition
reviewed and augmented -by C.
NEDELEC and L. LIBERT published by
Institut Scientifique et Technique Des Pêches Maritimes with
a wealth of drawings.
2 versions of the knots was there.
- a quick release type : drawing and diagram,
diagram-2
- a "fast" without quick release : drawing
and diagram,
diagram-2
( drawings and diagram are mine, and the drawings are after NEDELEC's
illustrations )
Almost immediately after I found
- - - Le Grand Métier (1977), By Jean RECHER ( RIP) a "
Capitaine
Terre Neuvas, with the drawings of NEDELEC & LIBERT
reproduced.
Then I found this on the Net.
If link does not work, but
only for that reason, get it here, it is a "quote" from the
site, but you will miss a highly interesting visit if you miss the Net
link.
A wealth
of information is there about trawling.
Could be an identical way to do it or a slightly different method, time
and study in the rope will tell.
I am now on the trail of other 'overseas' versions (in particular USA
and Tasmania) or of other ways that French fishermen use. (added Oct
2007 : all to no avail yet)
FCB ( Frank Charles Brown ) at my asking interrogated one of his
friends, ex-owner of a netting fabric about it : name is cod end buster
knot. [Begin quote]
My friend from
the netting
industry responded quickly, but did not have a lot to impart.
Note the
name he used--- subject of e-mail.
He said the knots he knows of are
variations on Chain Stitch/ Monkey Knot.
He did not give me a reference
so I looked in ABoK. # 2868. #2559, #1144 are
associated with the terms
Monkey and Chain, but not immediately obvious how applied.
First
assumption is lots of friction holding knot in place till spilled by
tugging standing part.
Echoes of Highwayman's Hitch???
Dave says deep water
fishers catching serious amounts/tonnage's now use mechanical
closers.
[End quote]
At least that
confirm the sort of knot that is/was in use in Australia.
The mechanical device is allowed by the European directives but I have
still to see one in Brittany.
This
is the situation at the very end of 2006 Sept.
....to be continued....
10th October 2006
New find thanks to the kind and knowledgeable helping hand of ( again )
Joe SCHMIDBAUER (Knot News , Igkt PABT
Editor, by the way
why don't you join us?) who was kind enough to
send me Knot News N° 47 issued in January 2005,( author being one
Pieter Van De GRIEND) knots shown
in it are different from the ones I have encountered.
I cannot just 'extract' the drawings there so will make my own
'after' them and do diagrams and 'real knots.
...to be continued...
Added 2007, January 23 ...No not to be so...
After much pondering following what scant contact I have had with this
author
I am rather under the impression that my attempt have glanced
off
someone rather reticent, to say the least, at the very idea
of
lending his works to such a web site.
So I decided not to even make use of perfectly lawful "
drawings
after..." that do not need permission but violate the insulting and
rejecting intent
of the
person.
Leave well enough alone those who do not want dealings with you
is one of my life rules.
Today proveb ( Japanese ) :
The darkest place is at the foot of the lighthouse.
added 2008 Sept
10th
Thanks to Atribord : taken in St Pierre et Miquelon : traditional cod
end in cordage picture
one picture
two picture
three
Thanks to Dan_Lehman : taken on the Cape May part
of the Eastern coast of the USA
(Lower Township) : a
mechanical cod end
