บท 23: 0022 Why do I feel like I'm on a pirate ship?
Seven days later, the first ship suit belonging to the Artis Beauty was built on her.
Keren's skills are undoubtedly superb.
He built a three-meter-long, five-meter-wide, nearly two-meter-high bowsprit deck at the bow, with the swivel of the harpoon gun and the large winch for rewinding the yawl mounted on the side aft of the deck, and the Beauty's bowsprit, which pointed diagonally toward the sky, standing alone, not intersecting the deck in any way.
This unique design allows the Fishing Fork gun to maintain essentially a broad angle of fire of ninety degrees forward.
What's more, by fine-tuning the position of the triangular bowsprit, he left the bowsprit's operating area free at the front of the deck and managed to retain the standard Kirk's limited upwind maneuvering ability.
For a sail-powered seagoing vessel, this is important.
Finishing adjusting the bow, he aimed for the Beauty's transom.
Lorraine and Haina captured a paddle-powered fishing boat in the Black Harbor of Cherbourg and used it as a punching bag to hang on the starboard boat rack of the Atis Beauty.
The submarine is of course important in that it gives the seaman the right to land in almost any type of natural harbor, whether that harbor is shallow and silted or reefed.
However its weight at the same time disrupts the overall balance of the Beauty.
Keren's response was simple.
He built a dozen barrels, filled them with gravel, and fixed them to the port side of the Beauty, so as not to interfere with the normal passage of the crew on deck, but also to pull back the center of gravity of the ship.
The only regret is that the transom is quite a bit heavier again as a result.
But neither Lorraine nor Keren cared much for this side effect.
The standard Kirk type was never a high-speed vessel, and even with full transom sails, eight to ten knots would not be enough to allow the bow to buckle in the breaking waves, with the consequent risk of capsizing the seagoing vessel.
With all the no-cost modifications done, an energized Keren took aim at the mainmast again.
He suggested to Lorraine, "Captain, I'm going to move the Beauty's mainmast forward five meters, then ten meters apart, add a fifteen meter high jib."
Lorraine asked absentmindedly as she drew the chart, "Why?"
"Why?" Keren half choked on the answer, "Because the double sided cross sails make the ship go faster!"
"I've calculated that the Beauty can reach a speed of about ten knots after the modification, which is basically equivalent to a Brig type of the same class under full sail. We can also add fully rigged halyards in one step, pulling full horns and catching sails. Even upwind, the Beauty can maintain a speed of two to three, perfect!"
Lorraine put down her quill helplessly, "Mr. Scott, do you know how much such a modification would cost?"
"Uh ... I can lead the construction for about eight hundred pounds with just materials and labor."
"Eight hundred pounds." Lorraine smacked her lips, "Very good design, dismissed."
Keren clutched his hair incredulously, "Why!"
"It's simple, I don't have any money."
"You're telling me that the family of the famous Hereditary Baron Drake has no money?"
"Drake is Drake, Lorraine . Drake is Lorraine. Drake. Didn't Ramos say when he introduced me to you that I was an outcast of the Drake family?"
"He said! He also said that the English nobility has traditionally been hypocritical, antiquated, arrogant, and shameless, and that there are several outcasts like you in every long-established family!"
"He's mostly right. As far as I know, the Drake family does have two nominal castaways who run the American and Asian routes, respectively, to make a profit for the family."
"What about you?"
"Sadly, I happen to be the first true outcast in Drake's history, the veritable kind."
Keren suddenly had a bad feeling, "At the risk of asking, what is the salary you offer seafarers?"
Lorraine recalled carefully, "The Drake Chamber of Commerce is still in its infancy, and for the time being, the sailors' salaries will be kept at twenty to thirty pounds per year, roughly in line with market rates. As for seafarers well ... food, housing, and together with myself, share the Chamber's glorious future."
Keren exclaimed, "I can't believe I don't get a paycheck?"
Lorraine shrugged with difficulty, "Young people, it's enough to have a future, what do you need money for ..."
Keren took a deep breath, "What are we eating!"
"Grandma Lorraine's Secret Cuisine."
"Where's Grandma Lorraine? I've been on board for seven days, and I haven't seen any cook come aboard to cook!"
Lorraine replied earnestly, "It's a good thing you haven't seen her, for she went off to see God seven years ago with great joy. Before she went, she gave our dear little Pierce the secret recipe that she has cherished all her life, and which is authentic to his handiwork."
"So where are we staying?"
"Weren't the quarters assigned to you seven days ago? Stern cabin."
"But my room is in the damn watertight cabin!"
Lorraine frowned, "You're a shipwright, I even have a separate working cabin for you. Where am I going to find that much space besides a watertight cabin?"
Keren stared blankly at his deadbeat Mr. Captain and muttered, "Why do I feel ... like I've gotten on a ship of thieves?"
"That's true enough." Lorraine patted herself on the back and stood up, "Don't look like there's only four of us and a pathetic harpoon gun aboard the Atis Beauty, but she really is the real deal, a privateer. The privateer's license is hanging in my captain's cabin right now, and it was issued by the Queen herself."
"Queen?"
"No fish on Friday." Lorraine ghostly recited a Cockney accent, "That queen is our great and wise Virgin Queen, the common master of England, France and Ireland, Her Majesty Elizabeth I ...."
...
No fish = embrace the leader.
Keren heard Lorraine's words, not to mention actually getting along with the brilliant and multi-talented young captain these days.
He ultimately chose to stay on board the Atis Beauty, even though the Drake Chamber of Commerce had shamelessly stripped the seamen of their pay, and even though Lorraine had no money to fulfill his desire to refit the ship.
It's like Lorraine said, they're young, aren't they?
"Young people, it's enough to have a future, what do you need money for?
The condescending Kron sought the permission of the ship's owner, Pierce Jr, to carve the phrase in its entirety on the mainmast, and in doing so, announced that he had officially completed the full refit of the Atis Beauty.
So it came to pass that the Beauty pulled up her iron anchor on a calm, sunny afternoon.
Hina was at the helm, Keren manned the sails, and Lorraine, cloaked in a trench coat, clasped her hands on her arms and stepped on one foot on the parapet of the bow deck, staring firmly straight ahead.
He shouted, "Left full rudder!"
Hina instantly pivoted her handwheels, and the Beauty backed up and cut a beautiful arc across the open Gulf of Mali, the ship heading due east.
"Wind due east, three knots, breeze, full sail!"
Keren acted, stowing the bowsprit and quickly pulling the wide transom sail to the top, assisted by Pierce Jr.
Lorraine raised her arm and pointed it squarely forward.
"Atis Beauty, target Stavanger, leave harbor and set sail!"
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