Marlinspike Seamanship Course: Teach Apprentice, Ordinary, and Able requirements to a crew

1. QM-6 Quartermaster Marlinspike Instructors: George Crowl

2. Course Outline • 6a. Teach the Apprentice, Ordinary, and Able marlinspike seamanship requirements to a crew. • 6b. Make an eye splice in double-braided line.

3. QM-6a 6a. Teach the Apprentice, Ordinary, and Able marlinspike seamanship requirements to a crew.

4. Background • Teach each set of requirements separately • If you taught Apprentice knots when you were an Ordinary, you may be able to count that. • You don't have to be Able to pass any part or all of this requirement • You don't have to do it over a short time, you can spread it out over months or years

5. Equipment Needed • 1/4” line, large line 1/2”plus • Cleat • A labeled knot board would be useful • Lesson plans for APP-6, ORD-6, ABL-6 (as desired) • SSM DVD of knot tying (as desired) • Whipping cord, needle, 3-strand sisal, canvas or sail fabric, various ropes, fire lighter, palm & needle, blocks, fid

6. Teaching EDGE • Lacks two things – objectives, motivation • You have to supply both • Objectives – simply put – the requirements • Motivation – why should a Sea Scout want to pass an advancement requirement? • YOU have to provide the motivation – how it will be used, it may be fun to do, whatever will persuade the Scout to do it • Give a pre-test? You may be able to sign them off as complete with part or all of it

7. Teaching EDGE (2) • Four main steps • Explain • Demonstrate • Guide • Enable

8. Explain • Need a knot to hold a sail on the boom, or to reef the sail • Needs to be simple and quick to tie • Will hold a strain, can be untied easily • We use reefing ties or short ropes on the boat • We call the knot the square or reef knot

9. Demonstrate • Show “right over left, left over right” • Make sure Scouts can see your hands • Use big ropes • Use two different colors • Illustrations from SSM, SSPR • Videos from the Internet

10. Guide • Everyone tie “right over left,” check it • Everyone tie “left over right,” check it • Pull knot tight, check it holds • Check for symmetry, each rope parallel to itself • Untie the knot, show it is easy • Teach upsetting a square knot if desired • Re-tie the knot at least five times correctly • Change the rope diameter to something a lot larger or smaller

11. Enable • Have the Scouts tie the knot on the sails of a boat • Where else can they use a square (reef) knot? • HINT: the shoe knot is a square knot leaving the ends long enough to form loops and catch in the knot. If the loops are vertical instead of across the shoe, it is a granny bow, and that is why they come undone!

12. When do You Pass the Scout? • Policies vary between ships • Author's opinion: knots are not ready to be passed until the Scout can pass them without help about a month after they have been instructed. This is a psychomotor skill that needs regular practice to master. • Other skills, perhaps rowing, can be demonstrated by the Scout and passed immediately

13. QM-6b 6b. Make an eye splice in double-braided line.

14. QM-1c Describe

15. N • L

16. N • L

17. N • L

18. N • L

19. WM-1d Describe

20. N • L

21. N • L

22. N • L

23. Anchoring • 1. Prepare in advance

24. Questions?