L R Mole

Sorry nearly missed your coments on "Devil to pay"

traditionaly the Devil was the deck seam nearest the ships side, and in days when ships were ships and men were men it was a right B******d to make water resistant with the working of the side planking in one direction and the deck planking in another. (Yes wooden ships and Yachts flex with the motion of the waves)

Paying was (and is) the practice af sealing the caulking (rough fiber packing wedged into the seams between planks) with Pitch (Ashfelt). It was poured in hot and left to set (see loggerheads the heating irons).

The saying meant a damn difficult job to do and no means of doing so.

Please also see the saying "Between the devil and the deep blue sea" which as I understand it was the choice of two very unpleasent alternatives - stay on deck and take the consequences, or go over the side (aka the Wall).

Some yars ago I was crewing "Grendal" one of the original Dragon 32 racing keelboats on a shunting manouver ib November between Faversham and Chatham. Beutifull clear,cold, windless December.
We were towing with the inflatable dinghy lashed along side. It was off Sheerness at the mouth of the Medway. The dinghy outboard needed refuelling. I was handing down our last Jerrican of Petrol. I sliped. It was a choice of losing the Jerrican or going in with it. The Medway in December aint the Barents Sea but I can assure you it was ******* cold.

And I din't have any dry clothing.

"Grendal" is of tradition carvell construction (Built 1948)- Yes I was between "Devil and the muddy, cold water of the Medway"

If God had intended us to build wooden boats, trees would come in two part packs !

Gareth