Please help a stranger: Windlass meaning!

[jumborex]

Hi, just started reading "The Aeronaut's Windlass" and I like it! But I'm not English mother language, so I have troubles sometimes. One is about terms like "Windlass", that I know as a machine for rising anchors or heavy bag in ships. I cannot imagine why the ship is defined a "Windlass." Thank you.

[Quantus]

In this case it's a world specific usage, so it's not just you.

An airship that is too damaged to fly and maneuver properly can usually rise and lower itself, if very slowly, and so can get cheap work transporting cargo up and down the Spire.  But it's not exactly a glamourous task, and to suggest that a world-class ship like the predator degrade itself to that level is somewhat distasteful to her captain and crew.

Imagine taking a world-class speedboat, and paddling it around like a rowboat to deliver the mail in the Bay. 

[jumborex]

Ah yes! I already supposed this, but now I'm sure. Thank you a lot.

[Quantus]

Also, Welcome to the Forums!

The insanity runs deep, but it's the healthy kind 

[Dina]

Hello Jumborex! Benvenuto! As English is not my first language (Spanish is) I had the same problem that you and I needed to search for it. Apparently, a windlass is basically some big pulley used in ships but as the others explained, it use is metaphorical. A ship is a windlass when she only takes cargo from above to below and back, a very mechanical and repetitive work. So offensive for the Captain of the ship.

By the way, the word windlass was so perfect, it sounded like a super heroine, like "aqua boy and wind lass"  .  I was disappointed when I discovered that was not the case. For instence, "The aeronaut and the windlass" would have been a beautiful title for a love story between a globe aviator and a mystical spirit like Ariel in the Tempest
(Sorry, that is the sort of things I think when I am alone at work)

[KurtinStGeorge]

Another way to better understand the windlass is to compare the idea of the windlass on sailing ship with that of an airship.  On a sailing ship the windlass was a large wheel with spokes attached.  The windless was typically attached to the ship's anchor chains or anchor rope.  Men would line up along the spokes and push against them to raise the ship's anchor from sea floor.  The windlass could be attached to other things by rope in order to lift them aboard ship or to move them in order to be repaired or replaced, like cannons, ships spars or cargo, but it's most common use was on the anchor.  No matter how it was used it was definitely drudge work done by common sailors and not as exiting as actually sailing the ship.

So an aeronaut's  windlass just moves the airship up or down, but it's still drudge work, and again rather boring work.   

[Penfold]

In spirit of curious English words here's some for ya... Ria, tundish and rodomontade

Bit of the topic but hey.