Rope? Nope, but line is divine...

Listening to "Sexual Revolution" by Macy Gray

One of the first times I came aboard Paragon I was looking around and asked the name of the rope that was pulling up the big sail.  

If you can imagine at this point that big SSSSCCCCRRREEEEEEEECCCHHHH that happens in the movies where the music abrubptly comes to a halt as everyone turns to look at the goof ball who just put their foot in their mouth.  Thus began the first of many lessons about sailing and boats in general.  

Rope practically does not exist on a boat.  In the most general sense of the word there are lines.  Lines criss cross the boat in every direction, and as they begin to do certain jobs their names get more specific.  There are halyards, dock lines, sheets, and fender lines to name a few, and they all need attention in some way.  They need to be cared for, coiled and stowed, cleaned, whipped, and occasionally spliced.  

Drake was telling me a story about a particular gentleman who, when questioning potential crew, would ask if they could whip a line.  If the answer was no then he felt they didn't have the basic knowledge he required to help on the passage.  At this point, and after a bit of practice, I can resoundingly say I possess this skill.

For those not in the know, lines can become frayed at the end which can lead to some serious unravelling.  This can render the line unusable, but is easily prevented by tightly wrapping (or whipping) twine around the bitter end.  I'm certain there are many different ways to wrap that twine, perhaps with a lovely design or pattern, but I was taught a simple and effective way that works and takes little time.  

The twine is so tightly wound around the end of the line that it feels solid and will keep the lines from unraveling with even the heaviest usage.  In preparation for our departure in about a month (Gah!  About a month!!!) I spent the day checking all lines and whipping those that had none.  *Note:  These pictures are not meant to be instructional.  I'm just showing what I did.*

Waxing the twine to help it lay better

Preparing to start wrapping

Initially I go over, under, over to create an extra little 'lock' on the starting edge

Halfway wrapped

Now I loop the other end over and begin to wrap with the other side

Pulling the ends in the center tightens the whole wrap

Trim the loose ends and tie a square knot

Seal the ends with a lighter

Now, instead of looking like this…

How several of our lines looked prior to being whipped

...our lines look like this and are ready to go.

The beautiful finished product