1. A whoopie sling is just an eye splice with the tail exposed and left long. A knot
and athletic tape on the end improves grip.
2. The same gate, loosened at the dock. The tape has lasted through three seasons.
I was first introduced the whoopie sling by a construction rigger nearly 20 years ago. We were using a crane to install irregularly shaped catwalk and railing sections in a refinery. They were all unbalanced, but had to be lifted dead level. This meant using three slings and adjusting the lengths of two of them […]
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A salty Kiwi named Ross Norgrove once said that the most important tool for the owner of a wooden yawl adorned with a bowsprit is a sharp ax. To some degree, his witty comment holds true for contemporary sailors contemplating a mini-bowsprit.