Goca Gız's February Newsletter
Hello, greetings from my second bulletin. To those who have recently joined, welcome!
I'm Beyza, also known as Goca Gız.
This is a place where I typically turn noteworthy content about seafaring into a blog post and hope for mutual exchange of knowledge.
I hope you enjoy reading and look forward to your contributions.
SAILOR'S KNOTS: Nautical Knots
Here's a fantastic piece of information you can share in conversations! A knot is a type of tie.
What we call a sailor's knot is actually referred to as "Sailor's Knots" in English. The word "knot" should ring a bell for all of you. Curious why? Let me explain.
The word "knot" originated from Middle English as "knotte" and is essentially of Old Norse origin. The Old Norse word "knutr" means knot or to tie. This word later evolved into "knotte" in Middle English, following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, to become the "knot" we know today.
This word, which corresponds to the word "bağ" in Turkish, is also a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, we'll talk about this in March.
FROM THE CLASSICS: Reef Knot
Old and simple! Used to tie two ropes of the same thickness together or to tie something around it.
There's also the term "reefing the sails," which is bragged about by sailors. -"Welll, the wind suddenly picked up, so we immediately reefed the sails," for example :))
Reefing the sails actually involves lowering the sail until the lines on both sides of the sail are at boom level to reduce the load on the sail in rough weather. Then, these lines are tied around the boom with a reef knot, which is why it's called reefing. The aim is essentially to reduce the sail and prevent the boat from heeling too much.
You've probably tied the first half of the "Reef Knot" when tying your shoes. For the second half, you just need to do the opposite. For instance, if you initially tied it from the right over left, for the second half, tie it from left over right! If you keep tying the same side over the other, it turns into a granny knot, so be careful :)
Explaining/understanding sailor's knots in plain text is a bit challenging. So, I'm sharing my YouTube section below where I explain Bowline, which is the nightmare of beginners and will make your job much easier.
EAGEAN AND MEDITERRANEAN
"Since ancient times, our coasts, which people have cherished, where civilizations have flourished, and world wonders have been erected, our shores laden with legends and historical monuments. Aegean and Mediterranean..."
A sentence describing the Aegean and Mediterranean, our paradise on earth, where everyone wants to settle down upon retirement, where the lucky ones already live, the favorite destination for those chasing profit, the home of exchange grandchildren, the dream of those in the plaza, as written by Nükhet Anadol in the opening line of the Mavi Yol book, which I will talk about shortly.
NÜKHET ANADOL TATARİ
Since there wasn't any book in Turkish describing Turkey's coasts, Anadol took action and prepared the first blue voyage guide by traveling from bay to bay with her boat, an amateur captain, journalist, author, athlete, educator, announcer, painter, and jewelry designer, a remarkable role model!
Born in Nişantaşı in 1943, Anadol graduated from Istanbul Şişli Terakki and Nişantaşı Girls' High School, followed by Journalism School. We can clearly see her athlete identity from her establishment of Galatasaray's first women's basketball team and her five-year championship in rowing. Nükhet Hanım, who is still a member of the Galatasaray council, is Turkey's first sports reporter.
Those curious can research her life, but what I want to highlight here is that the first guidebook describing Turkey's coasts was written by a beautiful woman!
Beautiful
/ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/
Highly pleasing to the sight, inspiring
We can't expect drone photos of bays taken from a book printed in 1985. However, illustrating the bay through the eyes of a person entering it by sea, conveying the perspective... now that's a perfect detail!
