the foc'sl on my boat
March 1st 2007 22:44
The Focsle of my boat:
I was asked as part of the ship design & construction section of the mariner’s course I am doing to draw a freehand sketch of my current vessel’s focsle. I went ahead and drew what I thought was a fair representation of my yacht’s foredeck features. Shading in with pen and ink the drawing is an accurate and fair copy. Or so I thought.
I hung the paper on my pegboard and some hours later looked at it and wondered whose yacht was this? Broad of beam, high topside’s, stout pulpit, Large airy doriade leading stainless steel chain down to the locker. Primary and secondary winches on the mast with neatly coiled headsail tied to the stbd rail.
Perhaps it is some kind of wish list that I have drawn. It certainly does not look like my long, skinny low to the water yacht on her mooring. Everything that belongs to my yacht is there but drawn how I would really like it. Why don’t you have a go and draw your boat’s focsle or if you don’t have a boat the last boat you were on. Make it freehand, from memory and keep it simple. Draw it as though you need to present it to your insurance company and digital cameras did not exist. Once you have done that, put it aside for a few hours then come back to it. If you like, share with me the thoughts you have, when you look at the picture for a second time.
The origin of the word focsle comes from fore castle as far as I can remember. In the olden days before cannon were really popular, our war ships were built with a high castle up at the front end. In those days we did not call it the pointy end as both ends were as blunt as each other. From the front castle and the stern castle, archers could direct arrows at the enemy ships as we sailed by. Of course I was only a younker cabin boy back then and did not have much opportunity to join the crew who bunked down there at night as well. It was the rough end of the ship. All the green water rushed at the focsle first and was mostly dissipated by the time it got to the stern where the officers bunked. The men lived rough ate rough and played rough.
These days the focsle is much changed and often the owner’s cabin is even situated up there. I have spent many nights at anchor, laying on the V-berth listening to the anchor chain dragging itself across the bottom as the boat rose to the swells. Uncomfortable and noisy at times. Just as often I have slept in the stern cabin and have been kept awake by the sound of waves crashing under the stern overhang. I think that the comfort of one or the other end of the ship is possibly in one’s imagination.
I was asked as part of the ship design & construction section of the mariner’s course I am doing to draw a freehand sketch of my current vessel’s focsle. I went ahead and drew what I thought was a fair representation of my yacht’s foredeck features. Shading in with pen and ink the drawing is an accurate and fair copy. Or so I thought.
I hung the paper on my pegboard and some hours later looked at it and wondered whose yacht was this? Broad of beam, high topside’s, stout pulpit, Large airy doriade leading stainless steel chain down to the locker. Primary and secondary winches on the mast with neatly coiled headsail tied to the stbd rail.
Perhaps it is some kind of wish list that I have drawn. It certainly does not look like my long, skinny low to the water yacht on her mooring. Everything that belongs to my yacht is there but drawn how I would really like it. Why don’t you have a go and draw your boat’s focsle or if you don’t have a boat the last boat you were on. Make it freehand, from memory and keep it simple. Draw it as though you need to present it to your insurance company and digital cameras did not exist. Once you have done that, put it aside for a few hours then come back to it. If you like, share with me the thoughts you have, when you look at the picture for a second time.
The origin of the word focsle comes from fore castle as far as I can remember. In the olden days before cannon were really popular, our war ships were built with a high castle up at the front end. In those days we did not call it the pointy end as both ends were as blunt as each other. From the front castle and the stern castle, archers could direct arrows at the enemy ships as we sailed by. Of course I was only a younker cabin boy back then and did not have much opportunity to join the crew who bunked down there at night as well. It was the rough end of the ship. All the green water rushed at the focsle first and was mostly dissipated by the time it got to the stern where the officers bunked. The men lived rough ate rough and played rough.
These days the focsle is much changed and often the owner’s cabin is even situated up there. I have spent many nights at anchor, laying on the V-berth listening to the anchor chain dragging itself across the bottom as the boat rose to the swells. Uncomfortable and noisy at times. Just as often I have slept in the stern cabin and have been kept awake by the sound of waves crashing under the stern overhang. I think that the comfort of one or the other end of the ship is possibly in one’s imagination.
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