Building Friendship: Reports by John Monaghan

October-November 2000: Rattling Down

On a brisk, windy, fall day in the Charlestown Navy Yard, as work progressed around the ship on various projects, Ted and Stu spent hours up on the mizzen shrouds in the wind "rattling down." That is to say, they were lashing the "ratlines" to the shrouds. The "ratlines" are the rungs of the rope ladders that are formed on the shrouds at about every 15 inches so the sailors can climb up to the yards to set the sails.

Left: NPS volunteers Stu Gralnik and Ted [_________] working on the mizzen ratlines. Photo by John Monaghan.