Authentic Nautical Accessories, and Custom Furnishings
Written for the Six Minute Challenge: Trauma. That's the only way to describe it. It only takes about six minutes. But oh those six minutes. It was the United State Navy third Class swimming certification. Basically, there are three parts: Deep Water Jump 50 Yard Swim 5 Minutes Prone Float OK, the first two were …
One of the forms of torture the US Navy inflicted on recruits was a series of swimming tests. So, of course, you'd expect the Navy to want minimum floatation abilities, right? The final test, you could not graduate from Basic Training without passing it, was a challenging one for me.
Former petty office first class John O'Toole loved to get in little digs at me. He remembered when I was " not the sharpest tool in the kit." In short, he remembered when I was an addled brain sailor whose sea locker and sea bag always needed a good tossing and cleanup before inspections.
As you may know I like to carve portraits of ships and boats. So I studiously snap photos of anything I find on the water that's of interest.
I have not one, but a raft of favorite quotes.
What follows is a discussion of the newly named scuttlebutt syndrome found primarily among sailors:
Everybody loves a juicy story with just enough naughty components that your interest is kept from beginning to end. So learning to pare and filter is important."
"Don't worry; it will all work out." if you hear those words run like hell for the exit.
This post is about the USS Constitution's sails. But there is a bit of a story that precedes it.
By the time I came along, Gundecking could be an art form in the hands of a master like O'Toole. Most Gundecking is the simple checking off of boxes on reports for maintenance or inspection. More elaborate needs could require Quiji Boards, modified game spinners, and critically the Magic 8 Ball.
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