In addition to writing books, I was the longtime editor of and columnist for Ocean Navigator, a magazine for serious offshore sailors. At ON I also taught celestial, coastal and radar navigation as an instructor for the Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship, both in hotel meeting rooms ashore and on tall ships at sea. I love to sail, hike, get lost in museums and spend timeless hours drawing and painting. I’m a dad to three sons and a rescue dog. Am a NE Patriots and Arsenal fan and tend to reference a Stanley Kubrick film every two minutes or so. I’m also that annoying night sky watcher who is always pointing out the constellation Cassiopeia — because its forms a big W, which reminds me of my wonderful wife, Wendy.
I live in Maine and can hear the fog horns of three lighthouses when the fog rolls in.
I have only read one of your books sir, and that was George in London, which was a fantastic read. I saw you on twitter and had to say hello and thanks for the read. I will endeavour to secure the Perry Helion series, and read Height of eye. Cheers Phil
Thanks for the good words, Phil. Hope you enjoy the Perry Helion series too.
I am going to enjoy your book. By coincidence, I enclosed a poem on the subject in my most recent collection, Watchman in the Knife Factory: New & Selected Poems, published by Black Lawrence Press in 2024. Here it is.
A Life Preserver
He watches the light move in and out
behind the evening clouds and listens
to the wild duck’s long, sad cadence,
interrupted by crows. He senses
the still air is indifferent
to these rituals. For all that,
he knows the connections there
are the nodes of moments
already deep in the braid
of a rope, coiled and put
in a public place under lock and key,
a life preserver, in case of emergency.
I am a graduate mechanical engineer, alumnus of the University of Illinois, and hold several patents. As an avocation, for decades I have studied the Great Pyramid and rope dating from the Old Kingdom (inspected at the British Museum). After reading your new book about “rope”, I was moved to comment.
Regarding their use of rope, I contend the Old Kingdom Egyptians must have had a true pulley – a true pulley must incorporate a “rope groove” to protect the rope during transition – a simple rope roller does not have a rope groove. In this regard, I “reinvented” a simple, true pulley that the Old Kingdom Egyptians could have readily fabricated. A limestone pulley based on this design was used to lift a 5,000 pound weight (using manila rope). I presented a peer-reviewed paper (subsequently published) on the subject at an Oxford University archaeological conference in 2014.
I would like to send you a longer email. In the meantime, please visit my website, http://www.egyptianpulley.com.
Stephen Blakely
Ofallon, MO