Log file from Thala.
1/16/00 1:38:54 PM
Main Deck
Wooden deck is kept clean and neat. Coils of rope are stowed close to their
source. Rudder and tiller system keeps the ship going in her intended
direction. Mast raises high above the deck, held in place with multiple
stays. Boom swings freely about so it is best to watch one's head when
aboard this ship.
Sturdily woven flax material surges into the wind, huge masses of sky blue
fabric making up the entirety of these majestic sails, which seem plain
except for the huge pattern decorating the sail's center. The design's made
up of a starburst radiates outward from a ruby red to glittery gold,
green-tinged bronze, klah brown, navy blueand at the very tips of the
starburst lime green. Along the side a vanilla and lavender tag can be seen,
hinting that this was made by the Weavercraft.
The Anchor is down.
The MainSail and Jib are neatly lashed to their booms.
It is an autumn noon.
Clinging to railing, boom, or rope are StarLight, StarBright, and SeaLight.
You see Dragone Deck and SeaSprite here.
You notice Daraken asleep here.
Nassa sits quietly, hoping that noone looks at him too closely.
Thalassina glancing up from her chart she motions the two appies over. "Have either of you learned much of navigation?
Nassa rises and approaches. He shakes his head negatively,"Not really. A bit of basic land navigation is all."
Torey shakes her head at the question as she follows after Nassa, "Well, sorta, but I only got to be navigator once on the Merri-Lee 'fore it sunk." she offers.
Nassa reads through the scrolls that Thalassina has provided. Candlemarks and the longitude calculations make sense, as does the general description of Latitude, but he sincerely hopes that the use of a sextant will become clear once he's shown how to use it.
Thalassina leans back against the rail and motions towards the various thing set out on the bench; Sextant, chart, compass, ruler, protractor, and a drawing compass; as well as the ocean with Land, sun, bouys, all visiable. "Now these are the main tools of navigation, can anyone give me a guess as to what one might be used for?
Torey can guess at many, having grown used to using some, though not all. "Things such as land and the sun, and at night, stars, can tell you which direction you're going." she offers as she too moves over to lean up against a railing, looking down into the water for a moment before turning glance back towards the others.
Nassa looks at the equipment arrayed on the table. He nods,"The compass, ruler, map and protractor, given a map and two shot points, you know where you are..."
Thalassina nods her head as the two apprentiences speak. "Yes, what do you think would be the first and easiest way of telling where you are going." motioning over everything again she waits.
Nassa considers, "watch where you're going, and check your heading on the compass?" He doesn't sound very sure of his answer.
Torey ponders a moment. "The easiest way?" she asks, before smiling. "Check the land about you if you are near enough... if there's any landmarks you should be able to tell that way where in general you are..."
Kyle walks on theboat and smiles to the people, "How are all of you doing today?" He looks at Thalassina and then walks over and sits on the side.
Thalassina motioning towards a pair of redand green bouys not to far in the distance leading in towards a paticular channel. "What about bouy's? Land can look awfully similar from a distance."
Nassa frowns briefly, "Different colors for different meanings? Range marks, channel boundaries, perhaps direction of travel... inbound/outbound lanes?"
Torey considers. "The colors tell you which side you're sposed to be on them, don't they?" she asks, recalling as she wonders. "But how would they tell you exactly where you are? I mean, they'd tell you if you were in the right spot, but... " Curious seacrafters want to know...
Kyle thinks and smile, "They and tell you to stay out of an area. Which way land it and anoub a lot of other things. that can also help you when you have to come into port.
Thalassina motioning towards the chart again. "Well this spot here is that channel, see those little markings there, the red and black diamond shaped marks?" pointing towards the channel again "Now look over there, does the placement of the bouy's look familiar?
Nassa looks back and forth from the chart to the bouys several times. He nods, having seen the pattern and guessing their rough position on the chart.
Nassa points to the chart, "We're right about here then?"
Torey plays devil's advocate and with a simple grin, shakes her head. Never hurts to have it explained... several times.
Kyle thinks for a moment, "I am not sure. I am not use to this part of Pern." He looks to the other two and shakes his head.
Thalassina nodding slightly "Well being able to see that the bouy's there are the same as marked here doesn't much matter right now, it's understanding why they are there. The red and green bouys mark channels, safe places for ships to go. there is an old rhyme regarding the bouys I don't suppose one of you knows it?"
Nachshon sneaks in from the Cockpit.
Nassa shakes his head, unable to remember any rhymes for this task...
Kyle shakes his head, "I don't know. Master Chandra has not told us I think. If she has I do not remember it right now, sorry." He looks away and turns to face out over the water.
Torey giggles. "Um... I used to know?" she offers... but hey, she's grown up, hasn't she? who needs rhymes anymore.
Thalassina smiling slightly she starts the little rhyme "It's rather quite simple, Red right returning. It means that when you are returning into a port you need to keep the red bouy on your right.
Nassa grins, and silently repeats it to himself several times before asking, "Do you need to keep them to port as you exit then?"
Kyle nods saying it to himself so he will remember that, "Ok and is their another part to ut?" He looks to the other 3.
Torey tips her head. "What about when you're leaving?"
Nassa shakes his head, that can't be right, both inbound and outbound traffic would be on the same side of the bouy...
Torey grows more curious. "And would it always be the same right side of the ship, or would it be different sides depending on which way you're going?"
Nachshon finally speaks after having been there, silent, for awhile. He was there the whole time, really... Just really quiet, "Red right returning..?" He mumurs, trying to be quiet while repeating what the Journeyman'd said and giving a little nod of agreement. Alright, got it. Sorta?
Starr wobble-skippahs in from the Cockpit.
Kyle has disconnected.
Nassa mumbles under his breath,"red right return, red right return, red right return, red right return, red right return..."
Thalassina shruging slightly. "As long as you are returning to port it is correct, it doesn't matter if you are going north east south or west. leaving port youd stay on the other side of the channel with the green bouy on your right.
Starr wobbleskips onto the main deck and blinks seeing all the people, gee lots on the ship today. She scurries over to the crowd of people to see what they're peering at an grins seeing the chart and other items, looks interesting that she already knows. Swiftly eyes peer from one face to another and to the chart to to try and catch sight of every word.
Torey ooohs and then grins. "And the space between the bouys keeps ships from meeting in the middle?" she offers with a mischevious grin.
Nassa nods, and looks out to sea, and notes the locations of the channel markers. He then visualizes the positions of ships using the rules he's just been given, and nods before turning back to the class.
Thalassina nods "exactly. Bouys can also mark shoals and sandbars and other various places you don't want to go, but those are orange and white, not red or green. THe red and green markers also demark various things out in the open sea and help keep you on track while you are sailing."
Torey ponders, climbing on the railing and sitting on the top, perched practically. "Who's job is it for bouy upkeep? Seacrafters or 'Phinners?"
Starr hmms and curiously peers at Thala before asking, "the markers impervious to thread?" has to ask you know just curious. After all they're in the water yeah but not underneath it, "what're they made of anyhows?"
Nachshon blinks momentarily as he hears a familiar voice, turning head slightly to see Starr and smile a little before turning attention back to Journeyman to voice his question, "And what makes them float?"
Thalassina gets up from her seat and stands holding onto the boom for a little bit. "They are made of hollow metal so yes they are impervious to thread. because they are hollow they float, most of them are actually under the water but they are made big enough that enough shows. Everyone who uses the sea helps to upkeep them. Seacrafters, Finners, and even fishermen. Although it is the seacraft that does the replacing of them."
Torey mms, "With the help of smiths, right?" She knows smithwork, growing up with the smiths, least till she got a fostermom... and even then at times.
Starr grins silver eyes sparkleling and asks curiously, "will the Seastarr ever have to replace them? Or do other ships do that?"
Thalassina nods to Torey "Exactly, it's a joint effort among the smiths as well. We might have to someday but as they are built to last we are more likely to just be reporting them and having a larger ship come and replace them as they are rather heavy."
Nassa looks curious, "How do they stay in place? Tides come in and out, water depth changes..." Starr ohs and nods her head a bit disappointed looking, t'would prolly be fun to replace them afterall and neat to see done too. Reporting well just isn't the same.
Nassa shakes his head, "Sorry, that's a tangent, doesn't effect naigation. I'll try to stay on topic."
Thalassina motioning towards the anchor abord the seastar "With an anchor and a heavy chain, it's the same principal used when ships are at anchor." moving on to the next topic "How about the chart, say you can't see the bouys or want to plot a chart to go somewhere, can anyone tell me what might be used and how?
Torey perks. "The compass... to tell which way you're headed and which way is north."
Kyle wakes up.
Nassa asks,"With land in sight?"
Starr frowns slightly as she peers at the chart, "you can use the stars somehow right an some thingie to line them up an figure out your longitude and latitude right?" Ah yes thingie the wonderful word when you've no clue what something's called.
Nassa has disconnected.
Torey giggles and watches, staying on the railing..."Sextant?" she querries of Starr.
Thalassina nods to them all. "Yes those are different ways of doing it but how about that compass and the ruler, protractor, and drawing compass? Any idea on how those might help?"
Starr thinks a momment or two after having been looking at Tors's face in time to catch her word, "think so," she replies none too sure of how the right word looks let alone how to say it. She turns her head back towards thala in time to see her words and shakes her head having no clue.
Kyle shakes his head and looks back up try to learn something. After a moment he speeks up and says, "I don't think so. I don't do navigation on Master chandra's ship."
Torey hmms, "Well if you could find a point of reference, and a direction, you could figgure out where you were on the chart by drawing lines with those." she guesses... acting as if she knows what she's talking about, though in truth, she is just guessing.
Thalassina sits back down next to the chart motionging the others closer. "Yes, how about you try that? I pointed out where the bouys were earlier and I'm sure that island over there will make another good point of refrence."
Starr grins eyes a bit wide at tors, she'd no clue bout that, deffinately sounds neat though at any rate. Not that she'd have a clue how to do it, she's more then happy to j'is watch tors an waits to see how it's done exactly.
Torey blinks. Who'd have known her guess was even close... well, can't let appearances of knowlege be dashed away. She shrugs. "Sure." and hops down from the railing, and meandering over to the chart. Oooh khay. She finds the island and bouy locations on the chart... her reference points. and then picks up the compass, facing the bow of the ship as she checks for the direction they are pointed. She reads the angle on the compass and then uses the protractor and drawing compass to find the same angle on the chart, and then uses the ruler to draw a couple lines. "Like that?" she asks, hopefully pinpointing the ship... and if not, at least 'looking' like she was doing things properly.
Kyle nods and turns to look out over the water. After looking at the island and nods and smiles, "Yes it would. But I hope I never have to navigate a ship." He looks back to Thal waiting for her to go on.
Thalassina grinning as she watches "Exactly like that. You just need to make sure your orient you map to the compass. placing the compass on the edge of the map she checks it "I had done it earlier but this is how you do it." turning the map slightly the compass needle stays pointed north and no longer going along the line of the map, shifting the map back the needle lines back up with the map. "That is one very important thing or else you might be getting the wrong lines.
Torey nodnods and then grins, putting down ruler and writing stick and reclaiming her spot on the railing.
Starr peers carefully at the chart while Tors figures it out and then grins furrowing her brow slightly trying to memorize so as she can do it if she ever needs to do it herself.
Kyle has disconnected.
Thalassina picks up the Sextant and holds it carefully. "Now I believe you mentioned this earlier Starr? what do you think of what it does?"
Starr nods her head slowly, "that," she pauses an momment frowning then shrugs and resorts to the same word she used before... "thingie figures out longatude and latitude. Uses the stars for that, not quite sure how to do it though, gotta line them up in it's sight i think," she peers at thala waiting to see if that's right or wrong.
Torey giggles softly. "Sextant." she repeats.. just being helpful from her peanut-gallery.
Thalassina ndoing she sets it aside for a minute and takes an apple and a writing stick with a string attached at the top. Setting the stick into the apple she holds the concoction up. "Now this is the basics of how it works. you get an angle for something, say the sun or a star or other things. now this apple is pern. The angle say is right here" she stretches the string to a point on the apple. "but with only one sighting it can be anywhere along this line" following that same angle she makes it go in a circle around the apple."
Starr blinks, pern's a redfruit now, here she'd always thought it t'was a planet, oh well what does she know anyhows. Nodding she watches words quietly.
Thalassina chuckles at the comments and continues. "Now you have a whole circle of place where you could be but how do you figure out where on that circle you are? Any ideas."
Torey pops up her hand as she all but bounces on her railing perch. "Just like before... you gotta have another point of reference." she answers in her eagerness... oh, it is nice to know sometimes.
Starr blinks an ohs then nods her head, makes sense two needed to find one thing, well mostly. "So you line it up to two stars then at night?" she asks.
Thalassina nods and grins "But what if it's during the day? there's only one thing to take a sighting off of then?"
Starr blinks, "a cloud?" she asks, oh yeah that'll work great.
Torey shrugs and ponders. "Then you use the compass and find true north and use the chart to find out your location?" she suggests. "Cause then you've two lines again, right?"
Thalassina nods "That is one way, but there is also another. Is the sun always in the same spot? wouldn't a half hour later be far enough different from where it was to consider it a different sighting?
Torey giggles. "But wouldn't you be in a different spot? That wouldn't be very accurate, would it?"
Starr ohs an nods her head towards thala then blinks, "clouds do the same thing though, couldn't you wait half an hour while they moved?"
Thalassina shakes her head "Well sometimes you are anchored and not going anywhere as we are now. if you are lost and trying to find your way and have the extra time it is worth it, or if say at lunch if you anchor the ship you can check your bearings to make sure you are on course."
Torey ahs and nodnods from her spot. "Yeah, if you were way lost, like after a storm blew you away or something." she agrees.
Starr makes a face, "why would you get lost in the first place?" she asks. Oh yes like everyone does that on purpose, "cides you wouldn't wnana take time getting unlost if you got lost would you."
Thalassina just chuckles at Starr "You would want to get unlost expecially if that only took a half hour. With stars it is much easier because there are so many of them."
Starr nods her head up and down and grins, "yup lots of stars though only one Starr."
Thalassina settling back on the seat she glances at everything "Any questions?"
Torey shakes her head. Not from her.
Starr shakes her head slowly having none, "no," she replies then blinks an pauses, "well cides from one question," she adds after a momment.
Thalassina noding she looks to Starr "Yes?"
Starr glances at the sextant then points at it, "how can I get one of those neat thingies?" she asks curiously.
Thalassina laughs and pats the ship "Well first off you need to get a ship. Not much use of haveing one of these without a ship. they are rather difficult and expensive to construct.
Starr nods her head and sighs, "oh well, it looks pretty and useful too," she says and shrugs.
Torey grins. "I got one, on the Gone Fishin, but thats cause I got it after I got lost by accident in a storm."
