Jolly Good Felloe
Helm’s Keep
Ship steerage is a rather complex affair which occurs largely behind the scenes of the impressive wheel we associate with a ship’s helm. Prior to the advent of ship’s wheels, the rudder, which dictates the direction of a ship, was controlled by a hand tiller or whipstaff. Some time in the early eighteenth century, the wheel was introduced to enhance the movement of the rudder with a series of pulleys and make the steering more intuitive, so that turning clockwise, for example, would result in the ship turning to starboard (to the right). A traditional ship’s wheel has eight spokes running through to the central nave and axle. A nave or boss plate is often found here engraved by the manufacturer. The outer rim of the wheel is composed of three layers, known as “felloes” – the facing fellow, the middle felloe, and the after felloe. Originally these good felloes were divided into four sections around the wheel, which is why a ship’s wheel was referred to as a quadrant at one time. The spoke handles would also have different grooves carved into them , so that in the dark, the helmsman could still tell exactly how far the wheel had been turned.
Helm’s Keep by Tyler Williams
Tyler Williams has created another fine nautical themed puzzle box, in the spirit of his pirate series which he began with the Jack Sparrow homage Pirate Compass. This time the box has a more traditional cubic form which is handsomely embellished with a set of prominent ship’s wheels at each end. There is also a menacing cutlass protruding from the chest, perhaps meant to act as a tiller or whipstaff to help navigate the journey? The boxes are well crafted from premium hardwood and have a lustrous finish. Everything moves with satisfyingly tactile feedback, but it will take cunning, observation and a little logic to discover the pirate’s treasure.
hurricane’s a comin’
From Tyler: “The idea of pirate themes and searching for treasure always intrigued me. Pirates compass gave me a few different ideas on how to build this design. Coming up with the idea was the easy part. Actually building and making sure all of the mechanisms work and [are] not fragile is the hard part. All in all, I think this one turned out pretty well. A lot of my designs have a theme and look like something. Some may not be the hardest puzzle but at least they look cool. Haha finding the “treasure” is what I liked most about the puzzle.” Tyler’s puzzles keep getting better, with more interesting steps and a more refined appearance. Helm’s Keep is indeed, a keeper.
take the helm
Tackling a tricky pirate’s themed puzzle box takes fortitude and bravery. A little liquid courage like this cocktail might come in handy. It comes by way of New York bar industry legend Sother Teague, proprietor of the amaro emporium Amor y Amargo which labels itself as a “bitters tasting room”. Despite his love of all things bitter and menu of “spirits only” cocktails at his bar (meaning no juices or syrups are to be found there), he is a brilliant drink maker of all genres. A brief stroll through his wonderful book, I’m Just Here for the Drinks, which he famously wrote on the notes app of his phone, will convince you of this fact.
Rough Seas by Sother Teague
One of those drinks was too good to pass up for this pairing, as we face the high seas and take the helm. Teague once told Punch he wanted to be a sailor, and that “I have a longing for the open sea”. When approached by Jägermeister to create a cocktail for the annual Tiki by the Sea event (held in Wildwood on the Jersey shore each year), he jumped at the chance. Jägermeister, despite the connotations it has inspired (and cultivated) through its US distribution, is nonetheless a classic German style amaro known as a kräuterlikör which can be appreciated as a challenging herbal liqueur. Teague paired the grapefruit, ginger and anise flavors present in Jägermeister and combined them with funky cachaca, ginger syrup, and Peychaud’s bitters for an exciting adventure on the high sea, which he assures will be, nonetheless, “smooth sailing”. Cheers!
Seas the day!
Rough Seas by Sother Teague
1 oz cachaca
1 oz Jägermeister
¾ oz ginger syrup (I used ginger liqueur)
¾ oz orgeat
¾ oz lemon
Heavy dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Shake ingredients with pebble ice and strain into a glass full of more pebble ice. Paint the top with the Peychaud’s. Flaming lime husk (or “ships” lime wheel) optional.
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