Saturday, 12 September 2015

LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON - Chapter 113



We would like some feedback this week – if you would be so kind.  Looking ahead to resurrecting the bulwarks, Simon and I disagree on their construction. I favour going back to the original look of the ship and having solid bulwarks (Photo 1131). The orange rail is the closest colour I could find in Photoshop to match the rope I took down there recently, which we plan to use as a rail.


   I suspect that Steve (Eskimo Sailor) will agree with me, but Simon prefers rails so that he can see more of the sea when he is relaxing on his sunbed (Photo 1132).  It’s his ship of course but I would be interested in any views you might care to put forward.


   On an historical note, I recently came across an old photo of the innards of a portable foghorn (Photo 1133).  The internet tells me it is a ‘Norwegian Pattern’ dating from around 1900 and I assume lightships may well have carried something like this in case their normal machine had problems. 

   Winding the handle cranks the two small bellows in turn, but at first I could not work out how the large single bellows on the top functioned. Apparently if you turn fast enough the small bellows produce enough air to inflate that large bellows, which being urged to close by the spring, acts as a reservoir and the sound produced by the machine changes from short bursts (as each small bellows closes), to a continuous note, interrupted only when you pause your cranking. Ingenious. I must find one for Simon.
David

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