The Steamboating Forum

Hi and thanks to everybody who answered my previous and perhaps silly questions!

This story question is about securing cargo but even more about getting it ready to unload. What I'd really like to know, is how can I make the passage I've written more interesting, complex, and informed. My character has anchored temporarily in a bay--in order to glass the surrounding islets and plan his trip back. He then gets the cargo ready to unload before his final approach to the cay where he makes his trade. I wrote:

On the forward deck, Grgic detached from their lashing eyes the lines securing crates of ordnance, and he folded and stowed the tarpaulin. He coiled the lines, cinching each coil with three swift wraps, and he hung them from cleats on the bow. He wove aft and likewise disencumbered the two crates on the rearward deck.

First--does this sound inaccurate? Second--do you have any interesting thoughts that might add a degree of complexity or precision?

"on the rearward deck" replace with "on the stern" or "on the stern deck"

Depending on the weight of the crates, he may want to make the cargo boom ready to hoist the crates overboard. On this little steamer, the cargo boom would also be the sailing boom, rigged for either duty.

The old steam puffers show the boom arrangements, and they would generally beach the entire boat, at low tide wagons could be brought along side for loading, then high tide would allow steaming away. The steamer of your story is far smaller, and your cargo boom could probably let 200 kg crates of the bow, but not that heavy over the side if you are afloat. Being grounded and waiting for the tide may not be an option in your story.

How hi-lo tide change in elevation in the area you are writing about??

I have a small steam-hydralic crane on my boat. it can take abaout 1000kg
lifted over the stern, but max 200kg over the side, and then the boat leans very much.




i hope the image shows

Johan

Interesting. Another silly question. Would you call your boat a tug? Or how would you describe it?

Yes, or a workboat, it started its Life as a warping tug.