Mystic Seaport - a day with textiles

Everyone who visits Mystic Seaport can’t help but understand what life was like in seafaring communities of old.  Yes, and that’s why we were there too.  But…I couldn’t help notice how much related to textiles.  So here goes a little summary of my day.

Sails: The Sail Loft showcases traditional sailmaking techniques and materials. During the 1800’s, hand sewn sails were made of flax or cotton cloth and hemp or manila boltropes were common.  Sailmakers were often part of a ship’s contingent necessary to undertake repairs of blown out or ripped sails on board.  Now that’s some hand stitching I won’t be undertaking!

Rope: The Ropewalk is a very long building (some 300 yards) where strands of fibre were laid out and then twisted together (laid up) to make rope necessary for maritime use e.g. docklines.  Joins in ropes compromised their strength hence long buildings and resultant unit of measure -- a cable. Some natural fibres used to make rope were coir and sisal.

On the Home Front: Cottons for textiles were either hand loomed or imported and very expensive.  Until the invention of the sewing machine, clothes were hand stitched, as was home napery and bedding.  The quilt on display in the Burrows House is a sting pieced quilt in a spider web pattern, popular in America with frugal quilters during those years .   

Knots:  Whist we are on the subject of rope, knots were used on ships (macramé & other knot work) for practical and decorative purposes. Even today, Turks Head knots grace many a keyring and in some cases, clothing closures can be made from knots rather than buttons.

There was the odd quilt and clothing example as well.  Love the treddle!

Flags: Semaphore flags, National Flags, pennants, pirate flags, courtesy flags, club burgees, bunting and many more.  Military carries their colours into battle. Ships are “dressed” in flags to honour a person or an event.  Flags are about sharing information and have been used throughout history, particularly on battlefields.  Ancient peoples used vexilloids (metal flags), some with pieces of cloth attached.  I read that the first cloth flags were simply pieces dipped in a defeated enemy’s blood and attached to the vexilloids.  In all, flags are pieces of cloth imbued with history and rich in symbolism.

Racing was always a rich man's game

Arty Business in Portland

I first noticed amazing signage in some of the older towns as we meandered our way up the Atlantic ICW.  Colonial Williamsburg has quite a collection too, strongly supported by the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection.  Clearly there is a quite a tradition in the US for making great art out of regular, everyday signs. So, I happily snapped away last year, amassing a collection of signage photos, as we bobbed our way up and down the Maine & New England coasts. 

Perhaps the best I saw, as a whole district effort, was in the old dock area of Portland, ME.  Maybe their interest in arty things is influenced by a nearby Art College and heaps of students about town (creative minds sporting colourful tattoos and body piercings).  The historic dock area with cobbled streets and converted warehouses has quite an exhibition of signage and some thought-provoking street sculpture. 

Whist I’m recommending Portland, we enjoyed a pint at Gritty’s then an excellent curry (the real thing – no relation to food hall atrocities) round the corner at Passage to India.  Yum!

So, in all it was worth our while to "look up" as we walked the streets of Portlands historic port area.  We recommend you do too!

Pirates in Provincetown MA

I’ve said a thing or two about Provincetown, MA but I can’t get over the amazing, if not outlandish timberwork on the good ship, Kalmar Nyckel, in town during our stay.  Today’s replica is in fact a faithful representation of the original built in 1625 for the Royal Swedish Navy.  Described as a pirate ship, she managed in her busy schedule to also deliver 4 loads (starting 1638) of early settlers across the Atlantic to “New Sweden” before succumbing to wild storms and sinking at sea.  

The Kalmar Nyckel is heavily dressed with mythical creatures to avert dangers lurking in the seas feared by a superstitious crew.  

Figureheads could call in fair winds and following seas.  The supurb figurehead on the Kalmar Nyckel, a lion, has two tails – one for the old ship and one for the new.  The lion has been long associated with wealth, power and prosperity.  In some cases, it also represents an association with royalty and was a favourite figurehead for warships. 

Carved faces on the stern represent “sponsors” and persons of import who helped financially & otherwise in moving the ship building venture from a dream to reality.  They are carved with whimsy and humour and painted in bold colours to ensure their message of prosperous ventures. Better than a rabbit's foot, wouldn't you say?

 

This lovely lady is a wonderful sight in our “grey suit” world; a reminder of our need for good luck charms – then as now.   This message is not lost on the people of Delaware, as the Kalmar Nyckel is their appointed goodwill ambassador.

Cape Cod’s Early Days

Woods Hole has a small but well stocked museum which showcases life from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s when the area was a popular summer escape for busy city workers.  Life was relaxed, living easy and seafood plentiful. 

Shingle “cottages” from those days line Buzzards Bay and surrounding foreshores. They were built by wealthy families as summer homes.   In 1928, the patriarch of the famous Kennedy clan purchased his summer house at nearby Hyannis Port, so you’ll understand it’s a bit of an upmarket neighbourhood. Tourists understandably still flock to this area, now home to the busy Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (since 1930). 

The Woods Hole Museum also has an extensive collection of water craft that were popular during those heady days with both fisherman and residents. Local craftsmen still test their skills, regularly making small craft in the old fashioned way – by hand.  We saw a beautiful dinghy up for raffle.  Just what we need - another boat!      

This local Museum is staffed by affable volunteers who take a keen interest in their home town and can tell stories of their forebears.  It’s rather like sharing a family photo album. 

Just to add some layers of textile interest, I just loved the ladies summer frocks and beautifully embroidered umbrella.  A stunning red work quilt was also on display.  (Family of David Cloos). 

Travellers are we. Our best advice to make the most of your stay in any new area is to (a.) take a local (bus/guided) tour and (b.) visit a local museum.  You really find out what makes the area and its people tick.

Almost a brush with fame

Since becoming a slave to marina book exchanges, my reading matter has grown to cover all manner of subject.  Let me tell you how popular Clive Cussler is!  And did I mention that Dirk Pitt is hot on the trail of all those nasty types? Yes, yes, I’m a NUMA junkie….   It started with my addiction to Sea Hunt.  Remember that 1960’s TV show with Lloyd Bridges as famous hunk, Mike (blub, blub and then I saw it..) Nelson. 

So it was with some surprise that we came upon the USS Deep Quest in a marina berth located in downtown Stirling Harbor. Dressed for action in basic black, accessorised with Jet Ski and menacing machine gun, this mini-sub looked just perfect for a starring role in the next Cussler thriller. The only thing lacking was a jaunty Dirk Pitt leaning on an outrageously expensive car. Well, maybe next time!

The marina is also home to the cutest little tug.  He’s actually a working lad; not a thrill or a pleasure seeker.  But I swear I saw him in a Disney movie once!  The Cap’n thinks I’ve been doing way too much reading lately!

A Sailor's Lounge book exchange is a wonderful thing.  I've discovered so many interesting authors that I would have otherwise not known about or ignored.  Orhan Pamuk is an example - I found his novel "Red" in our boatyard laundry in Trinidad.  A similar book exchange concept here in my own neighbourhood is a "Street Library".  It's all such a great way to encourage reading and neighbourliness..  Don't we all need a little trust and kindness?

Not Your Average Camera…

Finally back at the helm with a few interesting observations from our last cruising season cruising.  Now I know this isn’t exactly textile talk but…. 

We arrived in Greenport in August on a grey and stormy day.  As always, we were seeking shelter and deep water.  Greenport village had it all – history, friendly people, a boutique brewery and one of a number of curiosities, a camera obscura. 

Camera obscura,” meaning darkened room” is an optical device with a long history; Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) is said to have been familiar with the concept.   Essentially, it is a device enabling an image of surroundings to be projected onto a screen; colour and perspective are conserved.  So, it’s hardly surprising that Leonardo da Vinci knew of it.  By the time artists were travelling and sketching “en plein air” in the 18^th c, the camera obscura had assumed more modest and portable proportions.  I am sure we made one using a shoe box at school too (but that wasn't in the 18^th c!).

So, why was I interested?  Well, the camera obscura was indeed a pre-curser to the invention of one of my favourite bits of kit – a camera.  And then, there’s Grand Designs.  Yes, Kevin McCloud had taken us on a tour of a London build “The Jewel Box” in his second series of "Grand Designs".  The owners had incorporated a camera obscura into specially designed blinds, which allowed an image of the house to be projected onto a wall in their studio.  Amazing stuff!

Sadly, the camera obscura in Greenport’s Mitchell Park was closed on the day we visited.  Good light is a pre-requisite and those storm clouds were still lurking about as you can see from our photos!  One day, I’ll find one and it will be open…