Tree Workers and Sailors

chris_girard

chris_girard

Branched out member
Location
Gilmanton, N.H.
Just watched one of my favorite movies again called Master and Commander. I'm a huge fan of the books too and plan to read them all again this winter while rehabing my arm.

I can't help but notice how these old time sailors(even though this was just a movie) where great climbers as well as seeing how much of our modern equipment has it's roots in the tall ships from our past. I've known this for years, but seeing the movie again just reminded me of it again.

Things such as winches, pulleys and knots all have their history in sailing. Loggers knew this over a 100 years ago when they started using High Lead logging techniques.

Sailors and tree workers are really brothers in arms and cousins in work. "Hold Fast" everyone!
 
It could be rewarding to research forgotten rope equipment from ancient history and sailing to base innovative tools for today. What if a bolo would work to speed rigging? I suppose it would work 9 times out of 10 which isn't good enough. "Steady as she goes."
 

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im a huge fan of nautical serial fiction, patrick obrien, cs forestor and ralphael sabitini to name a few. Ive always wanted to crew a tall ship. we have two that take volunteers in the philly area but the time commitment is hard to meet.
 
Great observation, Chris. I noticed that too when I first got into tree work. My Dad loved to go sailing and so many of our vacations when I was a kid was on some body of water - Gulf Coast, Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes, and other assorted lakes around TX and TN.

One of the first things I noticed was the wench on the Hobbs Lowering device. Used the same on main sails and jibs, though a bit smaller.

Probably some more comparrisons in attitudes, as well.
 
The two professions work quite well together, in our modern times.

Running sail charters in the summer (Greece) on a traditional sailing boat. Then in the trees in the Winter.

It has been working really well for me.
 

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when they filmed master and commander they pulled extras off the docks of eastern europe. i think arborists would have made great royal navy tars. comfortable at heights and ugly. hahaha
 
POB is one of my favorite authors. I've read/listened to the series 2+ times...watched the movie about 8.

Did you notice the scene of the guy in the head when they rounded the cape in the ice storm?
 
I did some tree work for one of the captains of the Barque Gazela. He invited me down to work with the crew but you have to put 40 hours of volunteer work in a year to even be considered as part of the sail crew. Thats alot of time with trying to run a new business and spending time with the fam. Most of the guys that do it are retirees.

http://www.gazela.org/
 
I have 35,000 miles at sea on a three mast schooner and seven years in trees...plenty of crossover, splicing comes to mind, going up the mast. I prefer trees, they only sway back and forth, not round and round and up and down at the same time as back and forth!
 
I'm from a big sailing town, and as much as I agree about the similarities between jobs, 90% of these guys are just rich schmucks playing with daddy's money, or they hire someone to take care of their million dollar toy. They are far from the tree guys I know. Not to say all of them are, though. I have a friend who captains a 63' sailboat now, who had to leave our crew to take the boat to the Carribbean sp? (can't blame him, he was probably getting paid twice as much, plus going to the tropics). He is a great climber, I've learned a lot from him.
 
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