A Hug and Three Kisses

Today is the opening day of the Tall Ships Festival here in Victoria. It will start in a few hours when the 25 sailing ships enter the Inner Harbour and tie up along the Causeway, Ship Point and Wharf Street piers.

One of the most fascinating aspects of sailing ships is the intricate web of ropes that forms the rigging. These enable the sails to be raised and lowered in various combinations to best take advantage of the wind that is available. For a ship to be quickly maneuverable these ropes have to be secured so that they don't all just get tangled up and yet can be easily loosened when needed. The upright wooden pegs above are called belaying pins and are used to secure rope ends on square rigged sailing ships. In the photo above they are plugged into a pinboard and the ropes wound around them are in a pattern called "One hug and three kisses."