Lyr Req: Larboard Watch

Subject: Sea Shanty(?) Laboard Watch
From:
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 09:07 AM

Can anyone supply the lyrics to the song (possibly a sea shanty) called Laborde (L'board? Labord? L'bord? Les bords?) Watch?

Lyrics may contain the words/phrases "tired eyelids fall" and "welcoming watch."

Thank You!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sea Shanty(?) Laboard Watch
From: MMario
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 09:12 AM

The word is PROBABLY "larboard" - which, like many nautical terms in english, just ain't pronounced the way it's spelled.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sea Shanty(?) Laboard Watch
From: MMario
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 09:28 AM

Music at this site...gif image

url=http://www.web-helper.net/PDMusic/L/images/l0017.gif

and an audio file at http://www2.nlc-bnc.ca/gramophone/src/10perfs2.htm

Doesn't sound like a shanty to me....

Subject: Lyr Add: LARBOARD WATCH
From: kendall
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 02:07 PM

LARBOARD (lee board) WATCH is not a shanty.

1. At dreary midnight's cheerless hour,
Deserted e'en by Cynthia's beam,
When tempests beat and torrents pour,
And, twinkling stars no longer gleam,
The wearied sailor, spent with toil,
Clings firmly to the weather shrouds,
And, still the lengthened hour to 'guile, (2x)
Sings as he views the gathering clouds, (2x)
Larboard watch, ahoy! Larboard watch, ahoy!

But, who can speak the joy he feels,
While o'er the foam his vessel reels,
And his tired eyelids slumbering fall,
He rouses at the welcome call
Of Larboard watch, ahoy! Larboard watch!
Larboard watch! Larboard watch, ahoy!

2 With anxious care he eyes each wave,
That, swelling threatens to overwhelm,
And, his storm-beaten barque to save,
Directs with skill the faithful helm;
With hope out rings his cheering song
'Mid storms that bellow, loud and hoarse
With joy, he heaves the reeling log, (2x)
And marks the leeway and the course, (2x)
Larboard watch, ahoy! Larboard watch, ahoy!

Repeat as before

This was surly written by a landsman. Heaving the log had nothing to do with leeway, only the speed of the vessel.
Besides, the lyrics are much too flowery.

For the info of anyone who might care, the Starboard, refers to the steer board off the right rear side of the vessel (before fixed rudders) and, the lee board trailed from the left side.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sea Shanty(?) Laboard Watch
From: kendall
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 02:10 PM

I wish I had seen the blue clicky thing before I did all that!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sea Shanty(?) Laboard Watch
From: MMario
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 04:50 PM

sorry Kendall, I'll see if I can make them bigger next time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: GUEST,highlandman at work
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 04:31 PM

Kendall, I don't disagree entirely, but there is a connection between heaving the log and marking the leeway and course: all three are done at each turning of the glass to keep the traverse board current.
So to joyfully heave the reeling log and then mark the leeway and course does make sense.
-G

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 04:38 PM

By T. Williams very much in the Dibdins tradition but definitely not the oral tradition.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 05:12 PM

Regarding :-

"Subject: Lyr Add: LARBOARD WATCH
From: kendall - PM
Date: 15 Dec 99 - 02:07 PM

LARBOARD (lee board) WATCH is not a shanty.

SNIP, SNIP,

This was surly written by a landsman. Heaving the log had nothing to do with leeway, only the speed of the vessel.
Besides, the lyrics are much too flowery.

For the info of anyone who might care, the Starboard, refers to the steer board off the right rear side of the vessel (before fixed rudders) and, the lee board trailed from the left side."
************************************************************************************
It's not LEE BOARD it is LARBOARD.
LARBOARD is the opposite of STARBOARD see here from "The SAILOR'S WORD BOOK. A Dictionary of Nautical Terms." Published 1867.
"LARBOARD. The left side of a ship, when the spectator's face is towards the bow. The Italians derive starboard from QUESTA BORDA, = THIS SIDE and larboard from QUELLA BORDA = THAT SIDE, abbreviated into STA BORDA and LA BORDA. Their resemblance caused so many mistakes that by order of the Admiralty, LARBOARD is now thrown overboard and PORT substituted."

As for LEEBOARDS, there are two, one on each side of the vessel. That LEEBOARD which is on the lee side of the vessel is generally used as due to the wind heeling the vessel the windward one will be lifted out of the water. Also the pressure of the water on the inside of the lee board will place an unwelcome strain on the pivot.

regards
Jake

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: Rumncoke
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 06:18 PM

It's a silly song.

A log measures your speed through the water, but leeway is how the vessel moves relative to the wind.

If you are sailing North and the wind is from the West, then the vessel moves a little to the East under the press from the wind. Only a few degrees, usually, but it means that if you mean to get around a headland you can see in the distance which is just slightly to starboard you need to give it sea room or you could find yourself on a lee shore. You turn to port, so that your course is more to the West to give yourself a margin of safety. Even so with some vessels which have a shallow draught, such as the yachts for hire on the Norfolk Broads the amount of leeway they make is laughable.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 06:58 PM

Jake: That's how I was taught growing up as well. The sides of a vessel (larboard, etc) are of Italian origin as modified by the Admiralty. Leeboards, are of Scandanavian heritage (lœ or laa as in the ocean or wet side) as seen on shallow draft schuyt, botter, etc hull types. Apples & oranges.

Kendall: When the log is first thrown it is directly astern. As the vessel is "set" (see Jake's dictionary) to leeward during the timing run the log will appear to drift windward. The angle can then be measured with compass, pelorus, sextant or just fingers at arms length. A little trig yields leeway.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: Jeri
Date: 15 Dec 14 - 07:05 PM

Wow.
Lots of action 15 years on!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: GUEST,DaveRo
Date: 16 Dec 14 - 03:22 AM

To plot a position by dead reckoning the navigator needs an estimate of the leeway - the difference between the ships heading and the direction the ship is actually going.

As I understand it every turn of the sandglass (half an hour) the heading and speed will be recorded from the compass and log. It seems probably to me that they also recorded the estimated leeway during that last period.

The leeway will depend on the 'point of sail' - the heading relative to the wind - the wind strength, and the nature of the ship. A ship sailing close to the wind in a blow will make lots of leeway. A ship with the wind dead astern will make none. One way to estimate leeway, in daylight, is to look at the wake. And I expect they would estimate it based on their experience of the ship. How they recorded it I don't know?

In the song I assume that the call of 'larbord watch' is for someone to heave the log, signifying that another half hour has passed and they're nearer to the end of their four hour stint. Or maybe it's to change the sails, and any activity is better than just 'clinging to the weather shrouds'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 16 Dec 14 - 04:50 AM

Some very useful and interesting nautical info here! Keep 'em coming.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Larboard Watch
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 16 Dec 14 - 05:43 AM

"Larboard Watch Ahoy!" is a work shift changeover. In practice it would be more like half or third of the full 'watch.' Again from the Smyth's:

"WATCH. The division of the ship's company into two parties, one called the starboard, and the other the larboard or port watch, alluding to the situation of their hammocks when hung up; these two watches are, however, separated into two others, a first and second part of each, making four in all. The crew can also be divided into three watches. The officers are divided into three watches, in order to lighten their duty; but it is to be borne in mind that the watch may sleep when their services are not demanded, whereas it is a crime, liable to death, for an officer to sleep on his watch. In a ship of war the watch is generally commanded by a lieutenant, and in merchant ships by one of the mates. The word is also applied to the time during which the watch remains on deck, usually four hours, with the exception of the dog-watches..."