Creating something new, day 16
Sundial, farm and crane
We're just enjoying the morning, when a guard and Jarl Skiringes personal maid arrive with a precious gift from Jarl Skiringe to Sejdmann Arnesson. A nice wooden box, and on its cloth-covered inside is a nice set of ten forks and spoons in silver. I can't help but laugh. I get why the knives are missing, because everyone here uses their own knife from their belt for meals, and most people eat with their hands, and a spoon is pretty much the only real cutlery people, and there's those that drink soup from their bowls instead of using a spoon. At the feast yesterday, there were forks but was something most people didn't use except to cut a piece of meat from the common piece and bring to their plate. My company are definitely not used to eating with cutlery, even Kari, and that's something I would like to change in the future, but I won't force them. Cutlery is practical for more options in dishes, warmer food and far less messy. It was a topic we talked about yesterday, so I guess Jarl Skiringe scored another point there. I can probably get a silversmith to make proper matching knives. As far as I know, cutlery with knife and fork was originally forced by some king, so his guests wouldn't have their own sharp pointed knives in their belts and in his proximity.
But it's a very nice gift, and must be quite valuable with all that silver and craftsmanship, so I ask them to thank Jarl Skiringe for me, and say I also have a gift for Jarl Skiringe, but it's a device that shows time. I show size with my hands and say it is made of brass and should be permanently mounted in stone and cement, but a thick wooden log works. However, it must be outside and open to the south and have sunlight most of the year to be useful. Also an advantage if its easily accessible. Unless we hear otherwise I'll bring it in a while. It would be so much easier if I just could give a time. The maid thanks, curtsy and leave.
Iselin put Skiringe's gift in the cabin, while I finish the last work on the sundial. I use the punch and carefully tap the Academy's logo in a dot pattern at 12 o'clock, since its an advantage to mark most things that the Academy manufactures in the future. It will make the logo and the Academy better known. I check that all edges are filed okay, and rivet the sundial together for the right latitude and polish the parts and put it together completely.
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Its about 10 o'clock when we go to visit Jarl Skiringe. Gunhild proudly wears the sundial on a leather strap over her shoulder, to make it easier and prevent it from being dropped, although its a bit awkward. It can be straightened if it is deformed, but unnecessary work. They think its funny that I always try to make everything easier to carry and more comfortable. At least Bodil seems to have changed her mind about my way of carrying my sword, and thinks it looks cool. It also matches how I usually wear my Boomstick, although I've started to carry it over my other shoulder so they don't interfere.
Someone have noticed us approaching as Jarl Skiringe meets us outside, accompanied by Siri standing next to her looking very curious. We greet each other and I show my creation and explain that it uses the sun to show how time methodically passes over a day, because everyone knows the sun's path across the sky. I explains that I've divided the day into 24 equal parts called hours, and each hour is divided into 60 minutes, and that can further be divided in seconds, and I start counting about the right tempo for a second. I realise that I should make some form of sign that explains this for the future, or just on the sundial arms themself, and that a sundial isn't time equation compensated.
Jarl Skiringe inspects the sundial, and I explain that a sundial, clock or watch, all methodically measures the passage of time. But sundials arn't truly accurate, and the real time will slowly oscillate around 10-15 minutes from the exact time, but a sundial is close enough, and with the time equation it can be determined to a higher accuracy, as long as you know the day of the year. If everyone only use sundials, it doesn't matter in most cases because everyones sundial will show time with the same fault.
Measuring time allows you to plan events more accurately, or measure how long a job takes to perform. Limited use of course, but it is important in some situations, and its practical if many use time indications and have watches. If she already had had a sundial, I could have said when we would arrive, and arrived at just that time. Sundials is a combination of art and function, and as long as there is sunlight and its pointing in the right direction it just works.
Jarl Skiringe has found a spot for it and its diagonally in front of the entrance with excellent sun exposure, and where everyone can see it. I shows how it should be mounted and takes out the right direction for that exact location, and it is marked with a small cut in the wood on the palisade across the open space. The sundial can be mounted on a log or wooden post, but something more solid, such as a stone pillar sunk into the ground where it will be more stable, is better, which she will do. In the mean time she's getting them to improvise a wooden post.
Jarl Skiringe looks appreciatively at the sundial and thanks for the gift, especially when I tell her that this is the first sundial of this model. I will give the next one to King Aeriksson when we return to Borgarsandr.
We make small talk and I confirm that we will take a trip and visit my farm, so I can show it to my company. Jarl Skiringe smiles, but after a quick look at my company, she wishes us a nice afternoon - her's is unfortunately fully booked. However, she offer to lend us a carriage and horse so the journey will be a little easier, or if we prefer, a Knarr to sail there. I thank her, and after a short conversation with my company we decide on the Knarr. Its nice that she doesn't try to accompany us, even though she probably would've had a free afternoon if my girlfriends hadn't come with me to my farm.
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We wait until its noon, so I can take the sun height out over the horizon and note the angle. Asta does the same. Followed by Iselin, Kari and Alith who also wants to try, and Alith seems interested in navigation and wants to learn it, and I don't mind another student. It might help that they can talk to each other. I calculate the correction according to the table I made and make one last fine correction according to the latitude of the map. Made a couple of thought mistakes in math to make up for the day of the year, but I seem to have solved it. The sextant measures the angles between objects correctly, and it seem to have a precision of better than 0.1 degree, which is about 10km in latitude when I can make an exact calculation of the sun's position after the day of the year. Considering how navigation is here, that bad precision is amazing.
I really need to produce a book with tables and instructions for the sextant, and solve the sun's analemma, and its exact orbit and synchronization around the sun. Then I have to teach Asta to understand and use everything, and to calculate correctly, by hand, and ask her to take a voyage to verify it. Doesn't solve the longitude problem but that took until the H series of marine chronometers in the 19th century before that was solved, and 20 years of trying, but I don't remember exactly how he did it or what Invar is. I think it's just Nickel and Iron in some alloy? If I can get a hold of 'pure' nickel, I can try to melt batches in 'exact' 5% steps upwards and compare its length variation, and then try to refine the right alloy composition as much as possible. I might be able to make a relatively accurate watch with a flywheel in bimetal instead of a pendulum, but increase clock accuracy is just a fun thing to try as I do other things in my future life. Time keeping is important for a lot of things and science, and for most an accurate and compensated pendulum clock will work, but not on a rocking ship. Maybe I'll solve the longitude problem with long distance radio signal, celestrial navigation or something else.
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Argh, I must try to fix a star map and moon navigation, and figure out the exact method, as it solves the problem of longitude fixation. But to calculate and create tables? Eh, nope. Not in the near future, and preferably I want to avoid having to do that job myself. Its important as hell, but I'm so uninterested in it. But I need to make so many accurate astronomical observations first, so an observatory on the islands is likely to happen sooner or later, and I need to improve the sextant so taking star measurements works fine.
If it turns out that my world map data from Midgard is correct, navigation is a minor problem as long as ships doesn't leave coasts etc for too long. As long as the map is correct, it is possible to set the clock according to where you are via corrected solar time if the clock on the boat should drift on longer journeys.
Its kind of funny that it seems like most of what might be important to introduce here, isn't really what I would think would be useful knowledge, and a lot of my hobbies are just way to far ahead technologically.
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With the Knarr it only takes about an hour to travel to the farm, and its not hard to get there. Its just a month since my last time here, though we took the road that time. The water is too damn shallow everywhere, but we manage to find our way in and round the island in the middle of the bay. I'll need to talk to locals about where it is suitable for a deeper harbor, preferably 4m water depth, and easier sailing than the narrow passages past the large island. It is certainly difficult enough to pass all the small islands and grounds further out in the bay, at least in something as big, harder to handle and deeper drafting as a Kog or my ship the Millennium Eagle. Maybe try to look at building a harbor on the sea side? Or if that doesn't work, talk to locals and try to get permission to make a harbor on someone else's land.
I ask Gunhild, Kari and Ciara to take a short walk around the closer area to get an overview and learn how it looks, and then swap with Alith, Bodil and Iselin. I myself will consider possible future construction of a new farm, and construction of a proper harbor so the Millennium Eagle can anchor here. When the construction workers are finished on my Academy Islands, I will hire someone to build a new house here. I'm really not interested in vacationing in a longhouse.
When they have been away for a couple of minutes, I whisper to Iselin and we hurry into the bedroom where I go down on her. When the others return, Iselin has a happy expression and Alith, Bodil and Iselin set off on a tour of the grounds. Even with Ciara and Gunhild outside, Kari likes when I repeat it on her, and we end up in the big room where there is an stamped earth floor, so we can be more thoroughly test her IUD.
Bodil and Gunhild really seem to like the farm, and would probably like to live her, and raise a family while cultivating the land. Kari isn't that impressed although the place is nice, and seem to be good farmland. Ciara doesn't seem to care where she is or lives, as long as I am there with her.
We take a joint round up among the high cliffs and the forest, so I can take pictures there as well and plan for future construction. It's quite hot, and sweaty, so we take a cooling bath in my lake. The seem to be a couple of places along the seaside where a nice protected small harbor could be made. In fact, it seems that there can be a lot more arable land in the valleys. It will be a lot of work clearing it, but thats something I can pay others to do in the coming years. I'll have to make a road anyway between that harbor and the inland.
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It's evening when we return back to Skiringsalr and my ship, and we see that the crew worked yesterday and today. The sails have become light blue and they are just sewing on big yellow A triangle logo. Asta have manged having a big flag made, in blue with a yellow logo sewn on, and they're working on the next one. It's good work and I let them know that. We try to fill the ship's compass with oil before the return trip tomorrow. Its some kind of plant oil, so I'm a little worried about how it will handle the sun, and the comming temperature change during autumn and winter.
According to Asta, there isn't much here to transport back to Borgarsandr that can be a secure profit this time of year. We could have brought goods here, especially glass and finished windows, but its easy to be hindsighted. No-one cared about trade when heading here. In general, there's simply too many ships traveling between these two trade centers, and they are too close in distance, nature and resources. This ship also isn't suitable for animal transport, because then a Knarr is better. The trips purpose wasn't trade, the purpose was IUDs and an update with Liv, and thats done, and we have tested the ship, the crew and the sextant and so on. A successful voyage, so we might as well set sail and sail home tomorrow morning.
We just sit there and watch the crew work, and it feels like unloading and loading cargo should be able to be improved, because there are no cranes here in the harbor, or on the ship, with unloading / loading nets etc. Everything is done by hand, over the shoulder and so on. When I talk to Asta about it, that's just the way it is. She has seen larger cranes in a couple of ports to the south to lift heavy things that no human could, but small loads are always carried by hand, and yes, it is sometimes dropped in water, or damaged when carried on board, or up and down in the holds steep ladders. We discuss a bit and I suggest a simpler crane to test, and if it's worth it.
It's a bit of a problem because the stay ropes to the mast are in the middle, but the cargo hatch on the deck is a bit in front of the mast, so I take a long wooden pole and get help measuring. Centered over the cargo hatch and a pivot point closer to the railing and the low foredeck, the arm can swing out over the side far enough and have about 80 cm margin to the nearest stay line, which is space needed for the load the crane will carry, and the crane will have a wide support wheel in front of the pivot point to spread the weight over the deck planks and ease the torque on the hub, so there will be an uplifting lever effect instead, but then the winch etc, will be a form of counterweight. I speculate in a future upgraded crane arm that varies in length by standing more vertically in the middle past the stay lines, but then comes further out from the ship's side. Nah, it just feels unnecessarily complicated if it isn't needed.
I make a quick sketch on the slate board and calculate the forces and leverage effect on the attachment points. Luckily there are two strong beams under the deck in that area, so the wheel will roll in an arc over one, and the other beam can stabilize the hub. Check and discuss the attachment in the hull so it is okay. It can be reinforced with a pair of brass plates and braces for safety if needed. I should probably limit the crane to 200-300kg anyway, and check if a three or four line block and tackle solution is appropriate. If we have three or more cargo nets, they can be filled and emptied at the same time, so there will be no long breaks. The empty net is carried by hand to the second place while the full net is lifted with the crane. The crane can also be used to lift the ship's boat into the water, as long as you rotate it right past the stay lines and the hull.
Asta isn't the only one looking a little puzzled by my plans, but she and others understands that it can be useful. A new project to do next time the ship is in port. I spends some time making plans on the parts. Steel would be nice, but this will be in a sea environment all the time, so more durable bronze or brass is better, and I can make parts a little thicker and combine with solid hard wood, probably oak. There is so much oak on my land. I want a geared winch with a safety hook to lift, and a brake when lowering. I might as well try to make simpler roller bearings for the winch, as well as some form of controlled swinging of the load, or just locking the crane in the end positions. I measures the usual heavy rope and the winch's wheels become quite large and wide. Many turns with such block solution, but the rope will probably settle in just two layers. Except the swivel plate thats attached to the deck, the rest of the crane can be dismantled and stored under the deck until needed. It protects the crane and winch from the elements. Many many parts, including the hook and block and tackle parts.