Where is a handy billy when you need one? And just what is a handy billy anyway? Nikki Henderson goes down a Google rabbit hole Author Nikki Henderson on the bow. Photo: John Guillote Close reaching at a fast 60\u00b0 TWA I was working out how far forward the outboard jib lead needed to move before setting up something more permanent.
\n\u201cWhere is a handy billy when you need one?\u201d I said to my crew mate, who looked at me with an incredulous expression that so reminded me of my friend\u2019s four-year-old son, Axel. Axel was learning how to speak on the radio with his grandfather, Dennis.
\n\u201cRoger!\u201d Dennis responded on the handheld VHF.
\n\u201cWhy are you talking about Roger?\u201d Axel replied, confused. \u201cMy name is Axel.\u201d
\nMy crew mate\u2019s face: \u201cEr\u2026 Nik\u2026 Who the hell is Billy?\u201d
\nSo, who is Billy? I thought the same thing. After diving deep on Google, it turns out billy has many forms. The US Navy\u2019s billy is an engine-powered portable water pump to empty out sinking compartments on a ship.
\nDown Under, a \u2018billycan\u2019, commonly known as a \u2018billy\u2019 is a name for another piece of emergency equipment: a metal can used to boil water for tea and coffee.
\nIn Canada\u2019s Pacific Northwest, a handy billy is a wooden motorboat with an outboard motor under a housing (for a quieter ride).<\/p>\n
Sea shanties such as \u2018Rio Grande\u2019 and \u2018Heave Away, Me Johnnies\u2019 (British slang \u2013 Johnny interchanges for Billy) identify sailors as \u2018bullies\u2019, which said out loud with a pirate twang could well be \u2018billies\u2019.
\nAnd when the Geordies up in north-east England call someone a \u2018billy\u2019, they are referring to any good friend or close companion. (Note to self: derivatives of weird sailor-speak lead you down very long rabbit holes.)
\nThe handy billy I was referring to was the naval term for a quick-grab general purpose block and tackle system. It\u2019s a purchase system made up of lines and blocks to give you a mechanical advantage when lifting or pulling heavy loads.
\nCombine it with a quick release shackle at each end and a cam-cleat to lock off the line, and you can use it almost anywhere on a boat to pull something heavy. The more turning points the line makes, the greater the load you can pull with the same effort.
\nFor example, in a 3:1 purchase system, a load of 90kg (the average man) will require a pulling power of just 30kg (much more attainable) to lift.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Why it\u2019s tough being the only woman on board\u2019 \u2013 Nikki Henderson<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor Leg 3 of the Ocean Globe Race, L\u2019Esprit d\u2019\u00e9quipe (FR) and Neptune (FR) were granted dispensation to sail with\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Race to Alaska: answering the call of the wild<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cNikki, give up the tiller for a second. You gotta see this.\u201d Ev Goussev, co-owner of the yacht Gray Wolf,\u2026<\/p>\n
Moitessier fans might know the story of when his steel bowsprit on Joshua buckled sideways during his solo circumnavigation. He used a handy billy to bend it back into shape, and his fix stayed in place for the remainder of the voyage.
\nI like to think of the handy billy as a fancy tourniquet, the solution to a problem on board when there is no winch close by \u2013 a high-traffic piece of equipment that everyone should have \u2018to-hand\u2019, just like a multitool, a bucket, or a headtorch.
\nYou won\u2019t regret making or buying a handy billy. Use high spec line so that you can keep the rope slim, the blocks small, and the system lightweight. Remember the handy billy is all about convenience. Taper the splices well so they slide super smoothly on the blocks, and make sure the snap shackles on either end are big enough to clip onto most things. The handy billy has got to be versatile.
\nNeed more convincing? There are plenty more uses, but here are half a dozen to give you the idea:<\/p>\n
Clip to headsail clew to temporarily remove the load off the sheets, perhaps to move a car or sort out a riding turn.
\nAdd a snatch block on one end and use it to divert the sheet leads or act as a barber-hauler.
\nHook one end onto lifejacket lifting strops and the other to a halyard to create a short-handed solution to recovering a crewmember out of the water.
\nAttach it to the end of the boom or spinnaker pole and use it to lift large weights, such as a liferaft or outboard motor on and off the boat.
\nBulk up the number of pulleys and use it for precision placement of ultra-heavy things.
\nA quick grab solution for deck level rigging failure such as a failed backstay hydraulic ram.<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, all the derivatives could make sense when you consider the handy billy\u2019s true identity: a sailor\u2019s handiest companion on board! Some days it could rival a tea kettle in its frequency of use.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post What is a handy billy? The answer depends on where you come from appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Where is a handy billy when you need one? And just what is a handy billy anyway? Nikki Henderson goes down a Google rabbit hole Author Nikki Henderson on the bow. Photo: John Guillote Close reaching at a fast 60\u00b0 … <\/p>\n