Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Monday all over again
I�m looking for the name given to a wooden chair that was fitted to lift ladies to and from the deck of a ship to a smaller boat for travel to another ship while on the water/sea, or to a dock if at port. It has the same name as the act of visiting between ships that stop to chat while at sea. I've traced it back as far as an American whaling term but may be older.
Re: Monday all over again
For the ladies would this be a bosoom (vs bosun) chair?
John
Bosun chair , no, but
when the name of the chair is revealed, you might identify with the logic of your "bosoom" chair.
Re: Monday all over again
I'll guess "Booty Mover"? ;-)
T.
Come on Gary, let's make a game out of it!
OR-WENCH WINCH !!!
You're doing a good job. Go for it!--
Not correct but how about Petticoat Plopper or Mate Mover?
Monday Answer
Answer: Gaming chair. I liked all of your answers but alas blue foil stars are all that are awarded today.
"With that view, let me learnedly define it. Gam. Noun --A social meeting of two (or more) Whale-ships, generally on a cruising-ground; when, after exchanging hails, they exchange visits by boats' crews: the two captains remaining, for the time, on board of one ship, and the two chief mates on the other."--Herman Melville "Moby Dick" When wives traveled with the Captain on trips that lasted three to four years, they visited too. (You can't even imagine what would happen on board if they weren't permitted to visit!)
The chair is essentially a whale oil barrel with part of a side removed and the lid lowered to provide a seat. It had four ropes attached and transported ladies to the transfer boat when they went for a gam.
A gam is a group of whales. It is also a ladies leg. It is unclear if the name for the gaming chair was from the term gam--to prepare for a visit (a group get together) to another ship or to get a look at a ladies leg as she was lifted from the deck for the visit. I guess it depended on who was who.
I've had little success finding an example for you all. American Heritage had a picture of a gaming chair in a book on whaling "The Story of Yankee Whaling". 1959, p99. The movie "Down To the Sea in Ships" (silent,1922) also had a scene featuring the chair.
It looks very much like the barrel chair as shown at http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/barrelchair.htm
I also found this: "Sometimes elaborate, more often improvised from a sturdy Windsor chair, an oak barrel or the bosun's chair ~ the "gamming chair" would be used to transport those less adept at seafaring (usually women and children) from one ship to another. Securely tied into the gamming chair ~ the prospective gammer would be dropped down to a dory or wherry then rowed over to socialize with the other shipmasters' family. While the officers and crew "gammed" amongst themselves ~ the women would socialize, share news and sew, exchange sewing patterns or fabric and such. The children would do what children are wont to do: explore new hiding places, play and gambol about ~ and scramble in and out of the way on deck.
Sometime during the first or second dog watch (4PM to 8PM) a dinner would be arranged by the mistress of the hosting ship. (Provisions from all ships' galleys were frequently shared for this special occasion ~ offering victuals beyond the more mundane "square meal.") Amusing pastimes and musings would be enjoyed on deck, and then the gam would end. Visitors would then return to their own ship ~ some dropped down via the gamming chair to the dory, rowed back and hoisted aboard to make the next leg of their journey ~ recording the gam in both the ship's log and in personal journals." http://comity.home.comcast.net/comity/Gam.htm
Re: Monday Answer
Thus came about Ye Olde Englishe expression " get a look at those gams" when the wind blew the ladies skirts away from their legs to reveal (most immodest) their ankles and calves!