Sailor’s Chest A sailor kept his belongings – clothes, small objects, perhaps some sweets or treats from home and maybe even a souvenir or two – in a sailor’s chest. The chests were often home-made, but sometimes a sailor would buy himself a chest from, say, London, England. Sailors often decorated the inside of the lid with flags or pictures of sailing-ships. The chests were placed by the sailor’s bunk or hammock. Sailor’s chests came with a lock, but normally the key was left in the lock, signalling that the owner of the chest trusted his co-workers. Weather and work situation permitting, a sailor would sometimes rummage through his chest, looking at his belongings and reading old letters, perhaps even a book he had brought on the journey. Maritime Museum of Kristinestad

Letters A sailor was away from home for extensive periods of time, sometimes for an entire year. The only way to stay in touch with people back home was to write letters. The sailor would post his letters while in port. With any luck, there was a letter waiting for him in the Harbour-master’s office.

Pulley A pulley is used when lifting heavy objects, e.g. hoisting sails on a sailing-ship. A pulley, basically a wheel fitted on an axle, is designed to support and change the pull direction, thereby making the burden much lighter. The pulley in the picture has only one wheel over which the rope will run. Sometimes a pulley would have as many as four wheels, three wheels being the usual set-up. A set of pulleys assembled so that they rotate independently on the same axle forms a block. Two blocks with a rope attached to one of the blocks and threaded through the two sets of pulleys form a block and tackle. Large sailing-ships with their complicated rigging required numerous pulleys to operate the sails. Maritime Museum of Kristinestad

Tar Courts The tar barrels were transported to a nearby seaport, either by horse or by boat. Sometimes the barrels were rafted, making excellent use of the many rivers in Ostrobothnia. In the harbour, the barrels were stored in large, fenced-off areas called tar courts. Fences were needed because of the fire hazard – tar is highly flammable.

The Alma Built at the Kristinestad shipyard, the barque Alma was launched in 1875. Her maiden voyage took her to Copenhagen, Shields, Rio de Janeiro and Bull River. She also made a trip to East India and crossed the Atlantic on a yearly basis. In the early 1900’s she was sold to the Åland Islands. German officials confiscated her during World War I. The Alma spent her last years sailing under a German flag, carrying the name Herman. In 1925, at the age of fifty, the Alma was broken up. A 1:8 miniature scale model of the Alma was built in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The model is currently on display at the healthcare centre in Kristinestad.

Bowline The bowline forms a loop at the end of the rope.

Shipyards There were a number of shipyards along the coast of Ostrobothnia, some building smaller vessels, some constructing larger ships. The largest vessels would navigate the oceans of the world. A shipyard was normally founded right at the waterfront, by sufficiently deep water, preferably on a slope. The shipyard had a bed of heavy timber, a bed which was used when the keel was laid, i.e. when the actual construction work began. Every shipyard also had a smithy and a steam box used to soften the timber fitted onto the hull. (Learn more about the steam box in the Boat-building section!) Building a ship took less than a year, normally eight–nine months. The largest vessels measured close to 65 metres in length and 12 metres in width. Almost all three-masted ships (barques and frigates) crossed the Atlantic and sailed as far as Southeast Asia and Australia. Many of them sailed all around the world.

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Clove Hitch A clove hitch is two or three successive half-hitches around an object. It is a strong knot, which can be used to tie up a boat, for example.

Sheet Bend The sheet bend is a useful knot for tying two ropes together.

True Lover's Knot A true lover’s knot is tied from two overhand knots, which can be pulled tighter. A sailor would use a true lover’s knot to find out whether a girl was interested in him. He would leave the knot at the girl’s door. If she tightened the knot, it was a sign that she was interested.

Rope splicing is the forming of a joint between two ropes by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands.

Joining two ropes together

Sailor’s Bag A sailor’s seabag was used for the same purpose as a sailor’s chest. Compared to a wooden chest, a seabag was easy to carry and could also be stuffed away quite easily. A seabag, however, offered poor protection in damp conditions. A sailor’s seabag was often made of sail cloth. It came with a brass handle which could be fitted with a lock, usually a padlock. Maritime Museum of Kristinestad

Tar Courts The tar barrels were transported to a nearby seaport, either by horse or by boat. Sometimes the barrels were rafted, making excellent use of the many rivers in Ostrobothnia. In the harbour, the barrels were stored in large, fenced-off areas called tar courts. Fences were needed because of the fire hazard – tar is highly flammable.

Harbour-master’s Office The Harbour-master’s office, the administrative centre of the port, was often combined with a storehouse or a custom-house. When a ship entered the harbour, the Captain would report at the Harbour-master’s office. He then received instructions regarding his next destination and cargo. Sometimes there were letters waiting for the crew members and instructions from the Shipowner to the Captain.

Cordage All spun ropes and cords, hawsers and cables onboard were called cordage. They were made from natural fibre, e.g. hemp, flax or jute, which are all soft fibres. Hard ropes were made of Manila hemp or sisal hemp. Ropes were spun by craftsmen called rope-makers. Every seaport had its own ropewalk, where ropes were made. After the ropes had been soaked in hot tar, they were weather-proof and ready to use on a ship. Maritime Museum of Kristinestad

Skipper’s Cap A Skipper’s cap is a dark-blue flat cap with a stiff brim. This cap model became popular among sailors in the 19th century.