NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Rommel John Miller
Date: 2016 Jun 26, 18:14 -0400
The clew as opposed to the tack can be a bad nightmare if allowed to loosened in any stiff breeze. The earring is the largish grommet on the fly end of a sail at the base of the leech. To thread the earring would be to rig the tensioning line secured to the mast.
Since the clew to earring reference to me suggests the line which runs along a loose footed sail to the tack and is fastened into the clew. Again you never want to experience the breaking or loosening of that line in stiff or heavy weather. A sail whipping around by the foot can be tricky and dangerous on a sloop.
Everyone it is just a matter of raising and setting sails that makes one a sailor, but it is so much more than that.
Hope this helps.
Rommel
From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of Jackson McDonald
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2016 5:49 PM
To: rommeljohnmiller@gmail.com
Subject: [NavList] Re: Patrick O'Brian characters discuss time andlongitude
Ms. Herschel understands telescopes "from clew to earring."
Sailors and sailmakers will know what that quaint phrase means. Nothing to do with optics or jewelry.
JMcD
