KNOWING THE ROPES – A TWISTED YARN

Some would claim that civilisation took its greatest leap forward with the invention of the wheel. But Richard Chaplin would challenge that idea, for well before the arrival of the wheel early man had recognised that twisting together single flimsy threads produced something far stronger and far more versatile than the sum of its parts. So was the rope born, to evolve into the strings and cables, threads and yarns, harnesses and hawsers that we rely on today. Because when you think about it, there’s not very much that hasn’t got some twisted filaments in it somewhere.

A Bakewell resident, Richard Chaplin, has been involved with ropes all his working life. He has used his knowledge and experience in the ultra-deep South African gold mines and in the oil and natural gas fields of the North Sea, from decoy systems on military jets to floating wind turbines. When it comes to heavy lifting operations, deep sea moorings or hoisting men and materials from far underground, he understands the risks and dangers involved and the challenges posed by a rope’s natural tendency to unravel when under tension, i.e. stretched. He will be describing and illustrating some of these challenges in a fascinating talk “A Twisted Yarn - the world of ropes” at the Medway Centre on Wednesday 30th July, 2.00 for 2.15pm.

This is the latest of the Bakewell u3a Meg Laird afternoons, which give a roughly quarterly opportunity for members and non-members of Bakewell u3a to get together for a talk, some conversation and a cup of tea – not to mention the legendary Bu3a home-made cakes! Admission is £3 payable at the door. Come along and find out how rope changed the world!