Help me with this puzzle.. Please if you can!

Lozza · 08-02-2010, 23:06

I really don't have the foggiest idea where to start with this, I keep coming back and coming back but I'm just at a blank!

Quote:

Here’s The Puzzle then….

My mother was moving house and asked me ‘sort out’ Dad’s things. Lots of it has sentimental value, his old tools from his joinery days after leaving the Navy, a few books and some trinkets that caught his fancy at the time, but the most interesting thing was a tatty old notebook inscribed “Sam Elerry AB (Signaller RN)”.

Sam was my grandfather who I never knew, born in 1865 he spent most of his life at sea in the Royal Navy, first on square rigged ships and later on steam powered vessels, finally retiring to serve with a local shore battery on the South Coast. Whenever I asked Dad about him he just used to say he was an old ‘bunting tosser’ which I thought was a bit rude!

The book had lots of pen & ink sketches and columns and columns of numbers.

Towards the back was a loose sheet with what might have been a timetable of some sort. Not all the entries were legible and the handwriting suggested that Dad had re-written the times using the 24 hour clock.

There are some additional hints as follows:

06:37 00:52 00:52 03:45 06:37 04:37 04:45 03:30 10:45 03:45 03:37 01:30 03:45 06:45 06:37 06:52 07:00 00:52 10:45 03:45 10:45 06:37 06:00 00:52 10:45 00:45 10:45 03:30 03:45 07:50 04:30 07:45 00:52 03:07 10:45 10:45 06:00 00:45 10:45 04:45 00:52

I've got as far as working out that a bunting tosser is an informal term used in the Royal Navy to describe the sailors who hoist signal flags, as such I'm guessing that the times are Tide times?.. but meh where do I go from there

the final aim is to get a set of co ordinates in the form of degrees and minutes.

Fayshun · 09-02-2010, 02:50

A ditty box is a personal portable locker issued to sailors.

And correct on bunting tosser being a signalman.

Where's the puzzle?

Lozza · 09-02-2010, 09:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fayshun

Where's the puzzle?

Exactly my thoughts lol

somewhere in what I have posted is either Clues to lead you to the answer or the answer it's self.

I probably should have put this into the first post but the final aim is to get a set of co ordinates in the form of degrees and minutes.

vix · 09-02-2010, 09:20

Is it for geocacheing?

All I can think is that there is some sort of pattern in the second grid, and you have to fill in those empty boxes. However, even matching the times to the ones which have names gets me nowhere :/

Lozza · 09-02-2010, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by vix

Is it for geocacheing?

This is all I can think about at the moment! still no further forward!

Pumpkinstew · 09-02-2010, 14:36

I'm going to take a punt and suggest matching the times in the second image with the first letter of the destinations in the railway timetable.

Don't know if that leads anywhere since my lunchbreak has just finished.

semi-pro waster · 09-02-2010, 21:13

This might be spectacularly obvious to everyone else but the first table appears to coincide with ports that you could hit going round the bottom of Britain (inc Isle of Wight) from East to West - however this idea only works up to a point as the timings don't always gel, from some of them you might be able to work out the approximate speed of the boat, don't know if that would help you in any way though other than it might allow you to work out some of the missing ports if that is what it is meant to be.

Kitten · 09-02-2010, 21:15

I'm really not sure what the question is...

/thick

Lozza · 09-02-2010, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitten

I'm really not sure what the question is...

/thick

me neither.. and I'm not sure that if the puzzle does get solved it will give the answer or merely be another clue

Mark · 09-02-2010, 21:23

What's the significance of the 'handwriting suggested that Dad had re-written the times using the 24 hour clock.'

Given that the latest time is 10:45, were times re-written? Is this a red herring or something important?

Don't have any clues how to solve it btw - just noticed this inconsistency that no-one else had mentioned.

09-02-2010, 02:50	#2
Fayshun Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Adrift in the Orca Posts: 6,845	A ditty box is a personal portable locker issued to sailors. And correct on bunting tosser being a signalman. Where's the puzzle? __________________ We must move forward not backward, upwards not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling...

09-02-2010, 09:20	#4
vix Penelope Pitstop Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,426	Is it for geocacheing? All I can think is that there is some sort of pattern in the second grid, and you have to fill in those empty boxes. However, even matching the times to the ones which have names gets me nowhere :/ __________________

09-02-2010, 14:36	#6
Pumpkinstew Absinthe Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mostly Oxford, Sometimes Bristol Posts: 1,156	I'm going to take a punt and suggest matching the times in the second image with the first letter of the destinations in the railway timetable. Don't know if that leads anywhere since my lunchbreak has just finished. __________________ Get old, or die tryin' PSTEWREVIEWS - Chunks of Meaty Reviews, Mixed with Your Five a Day of News, Comment and Opinion, Floating in a Broth of Suspect Grammar and Seasoned Liberally with Mixed Metaphor. Tasty.

09-02-2010, 21:13	#7
semi-pro waster Provider of sensible advice about homosexuals Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: London Posts: 2,615	This might be spectacularly obvious to everyone else but the first table appears to coincide with ports that you could hit going round the bottom of Britain (inc Isle of Wight) from East to West - however this idea only works up to a point as the timings don't always gel, from some of them you might be able to work out the approximate speed of the boat, don't know if that would help you in any way though other than it might allow you to work out some of the missing ports if that is what it is meant to be. __________________ "Your friend is the man that knows all about you, and still likes you." - Elbert Hubbard

09-02-2010, 21:15	#8
Kitten Spinky-Spank Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: 668. The Neighbour of the Beast Posts: 11,226	I'm really not sure what the question is... /thick __________________ "You only get one life. There's no God, no rules, except for those you accept or create for yourself. Then once it's over... it's over. Dreamless sleep for ever and ever. So why not be happy while you're here?" Nate Fisher

09-02-2010, 21:23	#10
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	What's the significance of the 'handwriting suggested that Dad had re-written the times using the 24 hour clock.' Given that the latest time is 10:45, were times re-written? Is this a red herring or something important? Don't have any clues how to solve it btw - just noticed this inconsistency that no-one else had mentioned.