Tait’s Seamanship manual on how to sail a ship, part V

Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 85c

Here’s another instalment of the seamanship manual published around a century ago by James Tait, Extra Master and teacher of navigation. For earlier instalments, click here.

Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 83 Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 85a Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 85b

Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 85c Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 85d Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 87

Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 89 Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 91 Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 93

Tait's Seamanship or how to sail a ship page 95

Tait’s Seamanship, 1913, part I, or how to sail a ship

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Tait's Seamanship 1913 Cover

Tait's Seamanship 1913 Cover adverts 1 Tait's Seamanship 1913 adverts 2 Tait's Seamanship 1913 Compass and frontispiece

Tait's Seamanship 1913 preface Tait's Seamanship 1913 Introductory note and contents Tait's Seamanship 1913  contents

I’ve often wondered what ‘seamanship’ really is and who, if anyone, has the definitive article in their posession.

It’s not that I don’t understand or approve of the aims of seamanship – it’s about keep lives safe and protecting boats from harm while successfully travelling on the water. But, like the proverbial skinners of cats,  boat users all have their own methods, and there seems to be at least as many forms of correct seamanship as there are sailors.

Whatever sea-related activity you care to name, someone somewhere does it differently and will tell you all about it in a very firm and authoritative way – in the club bar, online or, sometimes, even on our own boats.

So I thought it might be fun and informative (and hopefully uncontroversial) to consider what seamanship was thought to be a century or so ago. So here are the cover and first few pages of Tait’s Seamanship, a splendid little document produced by a Glasgow maritime educational establishment whose principals had the good sense to provide courses for masters discreetly in a separate room.

I hope you enjoy the scans – as usual, click on the images for much larger, easily readable images.